


Fake Dates and Real Love

by ScarletFire313



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Green Arrow and the Canaries (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Reunions, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, I tried to make it fluff, I'm Sorry, It's pretty much just angst at this point with moments of fluff, Mutual Pining, okay theres a lot of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:27:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 84,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24825280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletFire313/pseuds/ScarletFire313
Summary: Laurel has to go to a family reunion and hates when people ask her if she is dating anyone. Dinah comes up with a plan. If they pretend to date, what's the harm?And what happens after?It is mostly fluff with some moments of angst, so it's pretty well balanced.I should add that the Avalance in this fic is very brief
Relationships: Dinah Drake/Earth-2 Laurel Lance, Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Comments: 98
Kudos: 131





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fic ever so please enjoy! Also, there is no real point in time where this takes place, but Laurel and Dinah live together above the bar so I guess it is in the future. Quentin is alive and well. 

Chapter 1  
“And all they are going to ask me is ‘Are you seeing anyone? Meet anyone special? Any lucky guy?’ and I will have to tell them no just like every year,” Laurel rambled on for the third time today. She had to go to a family reunion this weekend and was really dreading it.

“Isn’t it a good thing that they care so much? They seem to have accepted you into their family,” Dinah offered, trying to make her happier.

Laurel sighed and sat down next to Dinah on the couch, “Yes, it is, and I appreciate all that they have done for me. It’s just that I’m not their Laurel. They know that I’m just a replacement for her. If I didn’t have her face I wouldn’t even be invited,” Laurel looked down at her hands, “I’m not the person they want me to be.” 

“Yeah, the reason you were invited to the first one is because you have their Laurel’s face, but if they didn’t like you they wouldn’t have kept you around. They still love you, but they still miss their Laurel,” Dinah moved closer to her and curled her feet underneath her. She took her hand. “Look, they mean well. And you don’t see them often. You’ll be okay.”

“Thanks D. Really. Sorry to keep ranting to you about this.”

“It’s fine, I was bored anyway. I gotta keep you around for some entertainment.”

“Oh is that the only reason I’m here? I see how it is,” Laurel joked back. “If I stop making you laugh are you going to kick me off your couch?”

“We both know you haven’t been sleeping there the past few weeks.” Dinah shot back. It’s true, the past couple of weeks Laurel has been sharing Dinah’s bed. They both try to convince themselves it’s purely platonic.

“Hey, don’t hate. It’s winter, I get cold.” Laurel said with a smug grin. “You’d miss me if I wasn’t there.” 

“Hmm, hopefully I won’t need to find out.” 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Dinah.” Laurel said, visibly annoyed.

“Laurel, hey. How are you?” Dinah said, turning to face her.

“Dinah. What did you do?”  
“You’ll have to be more specific. I’ve done a lot of things,” Dinah said, clearly pretending not to know what she was talking about. 

“Sara just called me about a time change for the party. At the end of the call, she said, ‘I am excited to see you and Dinah on Saturday.’ Do you know why she said your name as well?”

“Right… that…” Dinah sighed. “Crazy world we live in Laurel,” Laurel just stared at her until Dinah spoke again. “Okay here me out.”

“Did you tell Sara that we are together?”

“No. Well, yes, in a sense. I was going to tell you tonight. I figured that I could get your family off your back if I pretended to be your girlfriend for the day. Sara called me asking for your number and I told her we were dating. She’s very excited, by the way.”

“D, really? You would do this for me?” Laurel said, all the anger gone from her face.

“Yeah of course! You’re not mad?” Dinah asked.

“I probably should be, but this is a good plan.” Laurel pulled her in for a hug. “Okay, I need to go hit things. I’ve had too many emotions today.” Dinah watched her walk away with a sad smile. She only wished that they could be together for more than a weekend. 

Dinah has had feelings for her roommate, and best friend, for a long time. She realized that she felt something stronger than friendship one day and has not gotten over it. Some days it feels like Laurel feels the same way, but others it doesn’t at all. She doesn’t want to mess up what she has with Laurel, but she doesn’t know how much longer she can hide her feelings for her. 

Laurel always knew there was something special about Dinah. She knew she wanted more than what she had, so there wasn’t really a moment when she knew she was in love with her. It happened slowly at first, but after a few weeks she was head over heels in love with her. Laurel is terrified to tell her because everyone Laurel has cared for has either died or has grown to hate her. Even with how badly things turned out in the past, Laurel hopes that Dinah will pick up on her feelings for her. She is not subtle with them.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re sure you want to do this D? I mean it’s not too late to back out,” Laurel asked, while sitting at the bar. “I mean I could make something up as to why you aren’t there.”

“It’ll be fine. You know, it might actually be fun,” Dinah answered. She leaned on the bar across from Laurel, “Also, my answer hasn’t changed the last three times you asked me, so I don’t see why it would change now.”

“In the next two days I will continue to ask you, so get used to it. It’s kind of a big commitment. You might need to keep doing this for all my family functions.”

“Wow. Laurel Lance, concerned? Never thought I would live to see the day.” Dinah said, smirking at her while pouring a drink for her.

“Isn’t this how friends interact? Drink and talk about feelings and all that crap?” Laurel took the drink from her and winked. “Well, I should say girlfriends interact, shouldn’t I?”

Dinah almost choked on her drink. “Yeah, yup. That’s what they do.” She took a breath. “And I'm so down for pretending to be your girlfriend for more family things.”

“Yeah maybe we should actually go out, make things simpler,” Laurel ventured, and immediately regretted it. Dinah’s playful face went away and was replaced with an emotion the blonde couldn't quite place. “I’m kidding, of course,” Laurel said quickly. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Dinah said, while trying to hide the fact that she was somewhat upset at the fact that Laurel wasn’t serious. “I need to go do a set. I’ll meet you upstairs later.” She finished her drink and moved to the stage and sat down at the piano.

Laurel was planning on just heading back upstairs, but she stopped when Dinah started to sing. She couldn’t quite place what the song was but she knew that she heard it before. She paused so she could listen. 

“'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable, and life's like an hourglass, glued to the table.” Dinah closed her eyes and turned her head upward while she sang. ”No one can find the rewind button girl, so cradle your head in your hands, and breathe, just breathe,” Laurel couldn’t keep herself from staring at her. Dinah was so beautiful and looked so at peace when she sang. Laurel stayed in the corner of the bar until the end of the song, and left before Dinah opened her eyes again. 

While upstairs, Laurel picked at her nails nervously. _I should’ve just stayed quiet._ She thought. _I had to go and make things awkward. Of course. Clearly I can’t even keep a fake relationship going._ She might have kept thinking like this, if it wasn’t for the wave of exhaustion that washed over her. Things were already weird between her and Dinah, so she decided to sleep in her bed anyway.

Most of the songs Dinah sang were somewhat related to how she felt about Laurel in that moment. They were mostly love songs, but there were some sad ones thrown in when things were especially complicated between the two of them. She sang another song, one requested by a customer, and decided to call it a night. There weren’t any songs she could think of that described what just happened. It wouldn’t be that big of a deal if she wasn’t in love with Laurel, but of course she was so now she had to overthink that moment. When she got upstairs, she was worried that she would find Laurel on the couch, but Laurel was asleep in her -their- bed when she got upstairs, so Dinah curled up beside her after only a brief moment of hesitation.


	2. Chapter 2

Dinah woke up more comfortable than she had in awhile. She quickly realized the reason. Laurel’s arms were around her waist and her head was buried in her hair. Dinah could feel Laurel’s breath every time she exhaled. Sure they have woken up together like this before, but it just felt special this morning. Not wanting to wake Laurel up, Dinah slid her way out slowly, trying not to make too much noise. Laurel stirred, and Dinah was afraid she was awake, but she only moved to grab a pillow to replace Dinah with. _Well, I guess I wasn’t really that special._ Dinah thought sarcastically, with a smile on her face. She left to go take a shower. 

Laurel loved waking up with her arms around Dinah. It was in those moments that things felt right. She loved having her face buried in her hair and how even if things were awkward with them before, this still felt right. She felt Dinah stir and decided to avoid any interaction that could ruin how she felt, so she pretended to be asleep. Once she left she grabbed another pillow and hugged it to replace the warmth that she lost. Once she heard the shower turn on she got up and made coffee for her and tea for Dinah. Dinah came out of the bathroom a few minutes later.

“I’m pretty sure you have an addiction to coffee,” She said. Her hair was still. 

“Please, everyone has somewhat of an addiction to coffee,” Laurel said back, handing Dinah her tea, “If you actually drank it, you would understand.”

“Nope. Never. Tea is so much better.” 

“Oh, what happened to the old Dinah? You are so zen now, it sorta freaks me out.” 

“The old Dinah didn’t appreciate the small things in life enough.” She said. “By the way, the shower’s yours.” 

“For the record, I do love this version of you. But seriously, the whole zen vibe is concerning.” Laurel winked at her and left for the shower. Dinah smiled to herself. This bantering with Laurel is the reason she thinks that she might have a real shot at being with her. One of these days, maybe. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“‘ _I just wanted to let you know that Ava and I are arriving there around 11, but we might be a little late,_ ’” Sara said to Laurel through the phone. 

“Aren’t you a time traveler? Can’t you go arrive any time you want?” Laurel asked.

“‘ _Well… we have to make sure the kids will be okay by themselves when we arrive._ ’” Sara said.

“Kids?!” Laurel exclaimed. “I thought you would’ve told us.”

“ _Mick. And Nate. Sometimes John._ ” 

“Ah. I see. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.” Laurel hung up. While she loved the idea of dating Dinah, she was a little bit scared. Okay, fine. She was terrified. What if she gets too into the idea of being Dinah’s girlfriend? What if she lets her real feelings about her come out? What if her family catches on? Worse, what if they didn’t like her? There are so many things that could go wrong, and honestly, she wouldn’t care what her family thought about Dinah if they were really together. 

“Did I just hear you ask Sara about kids?” Dinah walked into the room and asked. 

“Yeah, she was talking about the boys on the Waverider.” 

“That makes sense. So, I had a question about tomorrow. What should I wear? Is it fancy or lowkey? I want to make a good impression on my future in laws.”

“Future in laws?” Surprised, Laurel looked at her and raised her eyebrows.

“Well I figured I should start playing the part, so I don’t mess it up. So, what am I wearing?” Dinah answered. 

“Our parties are pretty fancy. You’ll want to dress up or we will get a lot more unwanted attention than we initially planned on.” Laurel said, trying to suppress how excited she was to see Dinah in a dress. “I was planning on wearing that navy pantsuit, if you want to match.”

“Perfect. We will be the best looking fake couple there.” 

“I’m pretty sure we will be the only fake couple there.” _Maybe one year we won’t even be a_ fake _couple._ Laurel thought.

“Good point.” Dinah sighed. “I’m going to pick out a dress. I’ll be down at the bar in like fifteen minutes, if you want to meet me there. I might even let you request a song.” 

“I’ll see you downstairs.” Laurel smiled, and Dinah walked back into her room. She waited until the door was closed and she heard Laurel go downstairs to let out the breath she had been holding. The one thought on her mind was of Laurel Lance in a navy blue pantsuit. She’s had more dreams than she would care to admit about her in that suit. It was going to be much harder to contain her feelings than she originally thought. 

“So you found a dress?” Laurel asked when Dinah got to the bar. “Can I see it?”

“Yes, and no.” Dinah poured them both drinks while Laurel glared at her. “Come on, I want to surprise you.” Laurel continued to glare at her. “You’ll see it tomorrow, relax.”

“Fine. I better not be disappointed, D.” Like that would ever happen. Dinah was beautiful no matter what she was wearing. 

“I promise we will still be the best looking couple.” Dinah purposefully omitted the ‘fake’ part of that sentence, but Laurel didn’t seem to notice. 

“I would never doubt that.” They kept talking, and drinking, and laughing the rest of the night until they fell asleep. They had a big day tomorrow, and neither of them wanted to mess that up. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Good morning gorgeous.” Dinah said to Laurel when she woke up. “How’d you sleep?”

“Hmm? Gorgeous?” 

“You know, I figured I’d start getting used to playing the part. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s more than okay. It surprised me, that’s all.” Laurel answered. “And to answer your question, I didn’t sleep great. Neither did you, if I remember correctly. We were both fairly restless.”

“It’s a big day, I’m nervous. Although, it looks like you slept well. Your hair is a mess. Come here, let me fix it.” Laurel walked over to Dinah and she started to run her fingers through her hair. Laurel’s eyes fluttered shut when Dinah’s hands were near her scalp. They both knew that they didn’t need to stand there as long as they did, with Dinah practically petting Laurel’s head. They both knew that her hair was fine and that this was just for them. Neither of them wanted to address it, so they stayed like that for quite a long time. 

“Thanks.” Laurel stepped away from Dinah awkwardly. “We should go get ready, it’s kind of a long drive.”

“Yes, of course. You finally get to see the dress.”

“Can’t wait.” 

About twenty minutes later, they both came out of where they were getting dressed. Laurel was wearing a dark blue pantsuit with a white button down shirt. Dinah was wearing a dress that was the same color as Laurel’s outfit, and it had a low neckline that was cut right above her knees. Laurel had to consciously restrain herself from letting her eyes wander. Dinah almost couldn’t keep herself from pulling Laurel in and kissing her. 

“You look… wow.” Dinah said, finally finding the ability to speak.

“Wow, um, thank you. You don’t look half bad yourself.” Laurel said.

“Not half bad, huh?”

“Well, that dress… I might have people fighting over you.”

“Aw, babe, you know I only got eyes for you.” Dinah didn’t even have to lie. 

“Let’s do this.” They got into the car and started driving. Every time they would tell a joke, or smirk at the other, there was always something electric about it. They both get this feeling whenever they joke around and it was something that would never change. Dinah was singing along to the radio, and Laurel was making jokes and everything felt right. It felt like that night in the bar, the mornings they spent together, or being curled up together at night. It felt like everything was finally okay, and nothing could replace that feeling. One of these days, they would always feel like this. 

“Well, D, we’re here. Are you ready?” Laurel said, pulling into the driveway. 

“It’s too late to back out now, Laur. I’m so ready.” Dinah grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I promise there will be Avalance in the next chapter, so look out for that. Let me know what you think and what you want to see because I still have no idea where this is going!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the family party, so that was fun to write. Avalance is here as well.
> 
> Also, why is writing people secretly pining after someone they think they can't date so easy for me? That's a secret I'll never tell.

Hand in hand, they walked up to the house and braced themselves for questions. Quentin opened the door and let them in.

“Hey, girls. How are you? Laurel, it’s great to see you, and I am so happy for you and Dinah. I always had a feeling about you two. I’m glad you are together. Let’s get you guys inside.”

“Thank you, sir. It’s nice to see you too.” Dinah said.

“Oh, drop the sir. You are family now, of course.” Quentin said. Dinah suppressed a cough. Laurel noticed, and spoke up.

“We are happy to be here. Has Sara arrived yet? I haven’t seen her in awhile.”

“She hasn’t come through yet, but she texted me not too long ago that she would be here soon. Why don’t you introduce Dinah to everyone!” Quentin put her hand on Laurel’s shoulder and gave her a kiss on her head. “They are all pretty excited.”

“Oh that’s going to be the-” Dinah waited until Quentin was out of earshot “-worst.”

Laurel laughed softly. “Yup, it’s going to be awful. Let’s go have some fun.” She squeezed her hand and rested her head on her shoulder. “Hey, they’ll love you.” 

“Thanks.” They walked into where everyone was and Laurel began introducing Dinah to her family members. They got the standard questions, like when the first met, where Dinah was from, and all that. Beforehand they decided to say that they met at a bar because their past was a little too complicated for her family to entirely understand. The two of them fit so perfectly with each other that even they seemed to forget that they were a fake couple. 

“Hey, look who’s here!” Someone yelled. The two of them turned and saw that Sara and Ava had walked in.

“Hey all! I’m sure you remember Ava, from other times.” Sara announced.

“Hi. It’s great to see you all again, I’m happy to be here.” Ava said. They did the rounds, said hello to everyone, and then Dinah and Laurel found themselves in a room with just Ava and Sara. 

“So how are things on the Waverider?” Laurel asked. “What are you facing this year? Or in all years? A specific year? How does it work?” 

Ava laughed. “Well, nothing seemed to have gone that wrong yet, but you never know.”

“Yeah, and as for how it works, I’ll be honest with you, I don’t always know it works all the time.” Sara said. “We really just wing it and hope for the best.”

“Aren’t you the captain?” Dinah asked. “Shouldn’t you know how it works?” 

“Probably.” She took a long drink after saying that which made all of them smile. 

The four of them talked for a while, mostly about the shenanigans on the Waverider and how Dinah’s bar was doing. Then came the inevitable question of:

“So Dinah, when did you know you were in love with Laurel?” Sara asked. 

“Oh, uh, well… it wasn’t really a moment. I slowly realized how special she was to me, and I started to want more out of our friendship. I think I knew it was love when I started to hope that every call I got, every person who showed up at my bar, or every knock on my door was her. I don’t know where I would be without her.” Dinah said. Laurel gazed up at her, with her mouth slightly opened and her eyes had teared up. 

“Really? That’s so sweet, D.” Laurel said. The two of them stared at each other for a long time. Ava interrupted their lovesick gazes.

“I am going to get another drink. Laurel, want to come with me?” She asked. 

“Yeah of course.” The two of them left.

“You guys are adorable.” Ava said, when they were out of the room. “I’m so glad you guys got together, I’ve been rooting for it to happen since I overheard you talking about Dinah to Sara.” 

“Do I really talk about her that much?” Laurel asked, smiling.

“Yeah, you do. You seem to really love her.”

“I do. A lot.” Laurel said quietly.

Meanwhile, Sara and Dinah were talking in the other room. Sara had an odd look on her face that Dinah questioned her about. 

“What is that look for?” She asked

“Oh, nothing of importance.” Sara said, her smile growing.

“Come on, you have to tell me.” Dinah said. 

“Okay, fine.” Sara paused. “I was just wondering how long you guys have been fake dating for.”

“What- no! What? We are actually together.” Sara just stared at her. 

“Okay, I believe you.” She said, and kept staring. Dinah looked back at her with every intention of staying quiet about it, but ultimately failed. 

“Fine, we aren’t actually dating.”

“I knew it. What brought that on?”

“Laurel was telling me that she doesn’t like going to these parties when she wasn’t with someone, so I arranged this to get people off her back.” Dinah explained. “It’s not my best idea, but I honestly didn’t think it through.” 

“That’s nice of you. It’s also extremely clear that you are actually in love with her.” Sara said.

“Is it really that obvious?” Dinah asked sheepishly. 

“Yeah. She likes you too, anyone with eyes could see that. You should go for it.” Sara said.

“I think I might.” Dinah sighed, and then saw Ava and Laurel walking in. “Hey, look who’s back.”

“We’re back. And we have drinks.” Ava said.

“Even better.” Sara said and quickly slipped her hand into Ava’s. “Are you guys planning on staying the night here? Ava and I are, and maybe we could go out on a double date.” Dinah tried to glare at her without being too obvious but Sara pretended she couldn’t see it. 

Laurel and Dinah looked at each other and seemed to make a nonverbal decision. “Yeah, why not?” Laurel said, thinking of ten different ways it could all go wrong. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This is a pretty nice room. I mean, there’s only one bed, but it’s not like it would matter for us, would it?” Dinah said, once Quentin showed them upstairs. “Laurel? You okay?” Laurel was standing and staring at Dinah. She had a look on her face that Dinah wasn’t able to figure out what it meant. “What’s wrong?”

“Did you mean what you said before?” She asked seriously. 

“What are you talking about?”

“About the moment you knew you were in love with me?” Dinah started to speak, but Laurel kept talking. “Did you mean it? Because, Dinah, if you made that up, I won’t be able to do this anymore.” Dinah tried to speak again but Laurel kept going. “I won’t be able to see you everyday knowing full well that I’m not with you. I can’t pretend to date you if you don’t feel the same way I feel about you.”

“What are you saying?” Dinah stepped closer to her. 

“I’m in love with you Dinah. For real. No games, no acting. I love you. It’s so hard to see you everyday and not be with you. Everything about you is perfect and I can’t believe you came into my life.” Dinah stared at her, at a loss for words. “Forget it, D. I’m sorry, just-” She was interrupted by Dinah grabbing her and kissing her. That kiss said everything. 

After what felt like not nearly enough time, they broke away. Dinah rested her forehead on Laurel’s. “I love you so much Laurel. There’s no way I could live my life without you.” She put her hand under Laurel’s chin and kissed her again. And again. They had waited too long for this. They spent almost all night talking about what made them fall in love, what their favorite things about each other were, and how hard it was not to kiss each other all the time. They were sitting so close that they barely had to move to kiss each other. They were practically sitting in the same space. They fell asleep in each other’s arms, and for the first time, they weren’t hoping for anything more. 

A couple hours later, they both woke up and Dinah turned to face Laurel in the bed. Laurel immediately pulled Dinah in for a kiss. “It feels so good to be able to just wake up and do that.” She said.

“I know, doesn’t it? I can’t count the times I almost kissed you when we woke up.” Dinah said, with a grin. 

“We should’ve done this a long time ago.” Laurel responded, kissing her again. “Okay, we should probably go downstairs. Sara, Ava, and Quentin are probably there already. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

“Fineeee. Let’s go.” They both got changed and went downstairs together, holding hands. Ava waved them over to the table. 

“Quentin made waffles!” She said excitedly. 

“Babe you are way too excited about that.” Sara said playfully.

“Shush you. We don’t get waffles on the Waverider, this is all we have.” Ava smiled at her and leaned into her shoulder. 

“Good morning girls. Want some waffles?” Quentin asked them. 

“I’d never turn those down, thank you.” Dinah said, nodding thanks to him. Laurel followed and they sat down across from Sara and Ava. “How did you guys sleep?” She asked them.

“We didn’t.” Sara answered softly with a wink. Ava gave her a horrified look. Sara just kept eating. “How about you?”

“Good. Really, really good.” Laurel said, stealing a glance at Dinah. They continued to talk, and after a few minutes Quentin joined them and asked what their plans were. 

“Well, we were actually planning on going on a double date later tonight.” Ava said.

“That sounds great. If I haven’t said it already, I’m really happy for all of you. Dinah, Ava, my girls couldn’t have picked better partners.” He said. 

“Thank you so much.” Ava said.

“That’s so kind of you to say. I’ve been so much happier since I’ve been with Laurel.” Dinah said.

“I’ll let you guys go. See you all later.” He washed his plate and left. 

Laurel cleared her throat. “So, where are we going later?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The double date will most likely be in the next chapter. And can you guess what food I was hungry for when I wrote this? It's very easy to figure out. 
> 
> Let me know what you think, I appreciate any and all comments!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double date time! I hope you enjoy this, and I am so sorry that this chapter is much later than the rest.

Ava and Sara picked out a restaurant in town for them to go to. While they waited for the night to come, Laurel and Dinah amused themselves by walking around the town and going to various shops. They went to a bakery for lunch.

“Do you think it’s healthy to have a cinnamon roll for lunch? I don’t know if I should. I feel like that’s not ideal.” Dinah said, while they were looking at the food. 

Laurel playfully knocked into her side. “Honestly, that was never my main concern in coming here. You know what, I’m going to have one too. You only live once, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. And I have never been happier, so this will just add to the fun.” Dinah said.

“Okay, tell me honestly. What’s better, dating me, or eating cinnamon rolls?” Laurel asked, once they sat down.

Dinah pretended to think about it for a while. “Can I have a few days to decide?”

“Oh, I see how it is. I’m just going to go then.” Laurel jokingly said back. 

“Honestly, this is the best thing that I could ever ask for.” Dinah said, grabbing Laurel’s hand. “You.” 

Laurel cupped her hands around Dinah’s face and kissed her. “I could say the same.” They finished eating, and they walked hand in hand down the street. They went into a few stores, just to look around, and before they knew it they needed to go back to the house so that they could get ready for their double date. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure that I look okay?” Laurel asked Dinah while they were getting ready.

“If I haven’t already said it, you look perfect in everything.” Dinah answered, walking behind Laurel and putting her arms around her. She planted a kiss to her cheek. “I have been thinking about that for awhile.”

Laurel turned so she could kiss her back. “You are the most amazing human being.” She kissed her again. After a while Dinah spoke up.

“Okay, we really need to go. We can’t be later than we already are.” She said.

“I’m sure Sara would understand.” Laurel answered, but pulled away and finished getting ready. “But you’re right, we shouldn’t keep them waiting. They don’t know that this is new for us.”

“Right, about that…” Dinah said. “I’ll explain in the car. Come on.” She grabbed Laurel’s hand and pulled her downstairs. Once they got in the car she started to explain. 

“Wait, so you’re saying that Sara knew it was fake?” Laurel asked, surprised. “Is that why she pushed for you to tell me about the moment you fell in love? And why she asked us on the double date?” 

“Yes, yes, and yes. She confronted me when you and Ava left to get drinks. I’m pretty sure she figured it out when they got there though. Sara is good like that. And I think the double date was a failsafe incase we didn’t admit our feelings.”

“Of course she had a plan. And does Ava know? She didn’t seem to when we got drinks, but do you think Sara told her?”

“I’m assuming she told her. But with that being said, I have no idea if they know now so I don’t know how this date will go, or how Sara will try and get us together.” Dinah stopped the car and she and Laurel got out and walked into the restaurant. “Let’s do this thing.” They waited for someone to take them to their seats.

“Hi, we have a reservation for four. I think it’s under Lance-” Laurel started.

“Oh, yes! Reservation for Drake-Lance, right this way.” She led them to a table in the back. Sara and Ava weren't there yet so that sat down next to each other and started looking at the drinks menu. They made light small talk while they waited for Ava and Sara to get there, but they became more impatient as time went on. After twenty minutes after they were supposed to arrive, Sara sent them a text. 

_Ava and I want to give you two some time alone so you can figure out how you really feel about each other. Have fun, and be safe!_ Laurel read that aloud to Dinah.

“Ah, so that was her plan. Makes sense. She was really pushing for us to get together. Dinah put her arm around Laurel’s shoulders. “I guess we will be all alone then.” 

“Oh, what a shame. What ever shall we do?” Laurel looked deeply into her eyes. They stayed like that until the waitress interrupted them.

“Can I get you guys started with some drinks?” They moved away from each other and ordered some food later on. 

“So I was frozen up on the stage, staring out into the crowd, and my mouth was open as I tried to remember the words. I was totally blanking on everything I practiced and I was terrified.”

“What’d you do?” Laurel asked Dinah.

“I ran! I didn't even go into the wings, I jumped down the stage, fell, and sprinted out of that auditorium as fast as I could. Fifth grade talent shows will always be my biggest fear.” Dinah laughed. “And now, ‘Edelweiss’ from the Sound of Music will always be my least favorite song.”

Laurel beamed at her. “I would love to hear that one day.”

“Never again.” Dinah leaned against her shoulder. “More drinks?”

“Of course.” Laurel ordered more drinks for them and they kept trading stories.

“What made you start to sleep in my bed?” Dinah asked out of the blue. “I’ve been wondering that since you started but I was terrified to ask and mess it up.”

Laurel waited a minute before answering. “The night I came into your bed, I was a little lost. When you went to sleep I went out to the streets and went to look out for people. There wasn’t anything going on. The night was silent. People were asleep. I realized that I didn’t really know who I was if I wasn’t a Black Canary. I wandered around for a while before coming back home. I went upstairs to the bathroom and I saw you laying in your bed. You were asleep, and purely peaceful. Something about that made me realize that I just wanted to be close to you. I knew I wanted to be more than friends with you, but in that moment it was more than that. I wanted to be right there by your side. So, I wore shorts and a t-shirt so if you asked any questions I could say that I was probably cold in my sleep and I sleepwalked in.”

“Foolproof plan. I wish I asked so I could’ve heard that excuse.” Dinah joked, and then got serious. “I’m glad you figured out what you wanted. I’m also really glad that the thing you wanted was me. Thank you for telling me that.” Laurel grabbed her hand. 

“Of course. Do you want to get out of here?” Laurel asked her.

“I would love to get out of here.” They got in the car and drove back to the house and into the room they were staying in. 

“More drinks?” Laurel asked, and Dinah immediately nodded. “I’ll go get them.” Minutes later, Laurel returned with two bottles of wine and two glasses. Dinah was tracing circles on Laurel’s back while Laurel played with her hair. They didn’t talk as much as the previous night, they were content with just staying in the same space. They drank and kissed and it got so late that they could barely think. 

Out of nowhere, Laurel grabbed Dinah and kissed her more passionately than before. She kissed her back with the same amount of force. The wine was soon forgotten as they fell onto the bed, running their fingers through each other’s hair. Every second that they were touching was like they were on fire. Laurel and Dinah moved in sync with one another, like they were a single heart. Their clothes were discarded and that night ended better than either of them could’ve hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you all think? Please leave your thoughts and anything you want to see in the next chapter because I have little to no plan.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiii y'all. Enjoy this chapter. It's something of a filler chapter, but I have something great planned for the next one!

“Good morning beautiful.” Laurel said to Dinah quietly when the two of them woke up. Laurel’s arms were wrapped around Dinah and their legs were intertwined. 

“Hey, Laur.” Dinah closed her eyes and smiled. “I’m glad last night happened.” 

“Me too.” Laurel started tracing circles on Dinah’s back. “My god, you’re gorgeous.” She planted a kiss on her neck. 

Dinah turned onto her back so she could see her better. “And you are stunning.” She rested her head on Laurel’s chest. Laurel started to play with her hair. The two of them closed their eyes again and stayed like that for a while. 

“I wish we did this a long time ago. This could’ve happened so much sooner.”

“Yeah, me too. But now it’s good. It’s pretty perfect.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Laurel kissed her forehead. 

“We should probably get up.” Dinah said. Laurel nodded in agreement, but neither of them moved to get up. After a few minutes of them lying in bed together, Dinah spoke again. “Okay, now we should really get up.”

“Can’t we just stay like this forever?” 

“I wish.” Dinah wrapped herself in a sheet and stood up. “But we can go and get mad at Ava and Sara for standing us up.” 

“Honestly, I think we should thank them.” Laurel said, as she got up and got dressed. 

“You might be right in saying that. Let’s go.” 

“Soooo…. How was your night?” Sara asked them innocently from the couch. 

“You should know how it was, but for some reason you weren’t at our double date.” Laurel sarcastically said. 

“Oh, babe, was that tonight? What a shame, we got our days mixed up.” Sara said, glancing at Ava.

“This wasn’t my idea…” Ava said quietly.

“No, it’s all good. Thanks for the extra push, but we actually got together the night of the party.” Dinah explained. 

“I’m sorry we-” Ava cleared her throat. “I mean _I,_ am sorry that I planned on standing you guys up, but I saw the way that you looked at each other. That was way too good to be fake. I knew it was real but I didn’t know how long it would take you.” Sara said, smiling. 

“Yeah, we are really glad you two are together. And one day we hope to actually have a double date, but we have to get back to the Waverider by noon today.” Ava moved closer to Sara and rested her head on her shoulder. “We’ve left the kids alone for too long.” 

“I had a really great time with all of you this weekend. I had a lot more fun than I thought I would.” Laurel smiled at all of them. “We should head home soon too.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two couples spent the rest of the morning packing and saying their goodbyes. Quentin was sad to see them go, but how happy he was that both of his daughters found happiness outweighed that. He pulled Dinah aside for a minute while Laurel was preoccupied. 

“I wanted to thank you for how happy you make Laurel. She has had a rough time ever since she came to this earth, and I’ve never seen her more at ease. When Laurel is with you, she is the happiest I’ve seen her. Thank you.”

“That’s very kind of you to say. She makes me happier than I could have ever imagined. I will always try and make her life better.” Dinah thanked him. Quentin put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. He said goodbye to everyone else and went inside. 

“What was that about?” Laurel asked, slipping her hand into Dinah’s. 

“It was nothing. He was telling me how happy he was for us.” Dinah gave her a quick kiss. “Let’s go see Sara and Ava off.” They went over to a small clearing. 

“So how does this work? Do you like, send them a text or something?” Laurel asked.

“Well, we gave the Legends a time and a place to be so they should jump here around now. They didn't go on any missions, so nothing should go wrong. At least I think they didn’t.” Ava explained.

“They didn’t. I had Gideon implement a baby monitor protocol incase the two of us leave at the same time.” Sara said.

“Smart plan.” Dinah and Ava both said. The Waverider appeared in the air and the two of them gave Laurel and Dinah one more goodbye, and then they got on. Dinah rested her head on Laurel’s shoulder as they watched the ship leave. They stood there until the Waverider jumped away and then they went to their car. 

“I still don’t know how any of that works.” Laurel said once they shut the car doors.

“I don't think anyone really does. Time travel is so complicated.” Dinah said. “Anyway, let’s go home.” She turned on the car and started to drive. 

“Would you ever get a tattoo? I mean, not the Mark of Four because we already have that, but would you get another one?” Laurel asked after they were on the road for a while. “I might want one. Not matching tattoos, because I have a thing against them.”

“Yeah, I guess I wouldn’t be against getting one. I understand not wanting to get matching ones, I’ve never been a fan, but why don’t you like them?” Dinah asked.

“When I was in high school, this guy I was dating wanted me to get a matching tattoo with him. I said no. He didn’t like that, and I didn’t want him to get mad, so I got one. Literally a month later I found out he was cheating on me. With a couple of girls, actually. I burned it off that night.” Laurel explained. Dinah grabbed her hand and looked at her quickly. “It’s the scar on my right hip. See?” She lifted up her shirt slightly to show her. 

“I’m glad you told me, and I’m sorry that he was a jerk. Hey, we’re home.” Dinah parked behind the bar and turned off the car. She grabbed Laurel’s hands and turned to face her fully. “You, my friend, didn’t deserve that.” She traced the scar with her fingers. “I’d never do something like that to you.” 

“I know. And that, Dinah, is why I fell for you.” Laurel gave her a quick kiss and opened up the car door. “Let’s go home.” The two of them grabbed their bags and went upstairs. Dinah immediately collapsed on the couch. 

“I am so tired.” Dinah said.

“I have that effect.” Laurel laid down next to her, even though she was practically on top of Dinah. “You should get used to it.”

“I am so ready to do that.” Dinah kissed her. Laurel rolled on top of her and started to grip her tighter, but then Dinah pulled away. “Mmmmm… this is tempting, but I can’t.” Laurel looked concerned until Dinah spoke again. “I have to go check on the bar. I had some kid cover it for me, and I should let her off the hook.” Laurel pouted. “Don’t do that, you know I can’t resist that.”

“Yeah, that’s why I do it.” Laurel gracefully tumbled off the couch and stood up. “Go, she probably needs a break. I’ll unpack and meet you down there in a couple minutes.”

“Thanks, I’d help but I think you’ll have me make it up to you tonight.”

“I most certainly will, D.” Laurel winked at her and went to unpack. Dinah waited until Laurel was in their bedroom to leave. 

“Hey, Dinah. I’m glad you’re back. How was your trip?” One of the waitresses asked.

“Hi, Rose. It was amazing, thank you. And thank you for covering for me, I didn’t worry at all with you in charge. Everything went smoothly?” Dinah asked.

“Yup, no slip ups. Conner had to kick a guy out though.” Rose said. “He was hitting on me and some female customers, and Conner could tell that we were uncomfortable and got rid of him.”

“That's a really great thing for him to do.” Rose nodded eagerly. “He’s pretty cute, isn’t he?” Dinah asked. Rose got pretty flustered before saying anything.

“Well… I mean, I don't know, well of course he’s cute, but…” Dinah laughed.

“He likes you too, you should go for it.”

“Speaking of relationships, Dinah, how are things with you and Laurel? Did you two finally get together?” Rose asked, redirecting the conversation. 

“Does everyone know?” She asked exasperatedly.

“That you and Laurel have been secretly pining after one another since she moved in? Or the way you look at her whenever she comes in here? Or how every song you sing up on the stage is a love song to her?” Rose asked, clearly having known for a while. 

“Wow I knew it was obvious but I didn’t realize how obvious it was. Didn’t realize my entire staff knew.” Dinah said.

“We are a receptive bunch.” 

“Anyway, yes. We did end up getting together. It was actually a pretty amazing trip.” Dinah and Rose continued to talk, and she pushed Rose to ask Conner out. Which she ended up doing, and Conner did say yes. Rose looked back to Dinah with a huge grin on her face, so Dinah waved her hand and let them get off work early. 

“Hey, Dinah? Some of the regulars saw that you got back and are requesting a song. Do you want to do one?” Another waiter asked.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll be up there in a second.” Dinah said. She set down the drinks she was holding, wiped her hands on her apron, and walked onstage. “Hi everyone, I’m back. I’d like to dedicate this song to the best person in my life, Laurel Lance.”

It was at that time that Laurel came into the bar. She was waiting in the back, smiling stupidly while Dinah talked about her onstage. Someone handed her her usual drink, and leaned back against the wall to watch Dinah sing.

“ _Two centuries, since I first saw you weave like a dancer 'round my heart. You grew wild when it rained, I dug deep into the slate so we'd never be apart_ ” Dinah sang at the piano. “ _You, you always stay by me. You, you wander but never leave. And I'm the one who watches over you, that's what I was built to do._ ” Laurel looked around the room as she sang. Everyone was paying attention to her. The waiters stopped moving, and the bartenders stopped making drinks. Most, if not all, of the customers were silent and attentive. Dinah seemed oblivious to how everyone watched her. She sang with her eyes closed and her head tilted up. 

“She’s so good, isn’t she?” Someone near her asked her. 

“Yeah, she’s amazing. Absolutely perfect.” Laurel answered, probably with a lovesick expression. 

“You’re Laurel, right? Dinah talks about you all the time. You guys are made for each other.” He said. She thanked him as he walked away.

“ _Love don't you weep, you know we cannot keep this moment here together. If you could only see the beauty that I see, we'd go on forever._ ” Laurel loved when Dinah sang. Not just because her voice is phenomenal, that goes without saying. It was because, before they were dating, Laurel could just watch Dinah and sing and not have to hide how she felt because Dinah was lost in her own world. Laurel didn’t need to try and hide the love in her eyes. She was never able to, but she no longer needed to try. 

Dinah finished her song as the bar cheered. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes on the final chord. The bar seemed to go back to normal once she finished and got the applause she was owed. It was like the world stopped just for her, only to hear her sing. 

Laurel walked up to the stage and kissed her passionately right when she got up.

“What was that for?” Dinah asked, once Laurel broke the kiss.

“Just… just for being you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song was The City and The River by The Rescues, so I hope you guys enjoyed that. I also hope you guys liked Conner and Rose, because I just felt like writing them in and I like the idea of Dinah loving her staff. If you have any suggestions please let me know, and have a magical day.


	6. Chapter 6

“Hey Laur. Tomorrow morning I have to get up early and take care of some things, but I’ll be back sometime in the afternoon. I’ll probably be gone before you wake up.” Dinah said one night at dinner. 

“Is everything okay?” Laurel asked.

“Everything’s fine, I just need to run some errands.”

“Okay, thanks for letting me know. Do you need me to do anything while you’re gone?” 

“I don’t think so, but if you think of anything that would be great.” Dinah paused for a second. “Don’t you love just being domestic? Everyday is everything that I hoped for the two of us.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinah walked up the stairs to their apartment after a long day of running errands. She wasn’t upset at that, she was just tired and was really looking forward to a relaxing evening. She walked in the door and was met with a surprise. 

“You are just the cutest little thing, aren’t you? She’s going to love you so so much. Yes she is. Oh yes-” Laurel stopped mid sentence. “Dinah, I can explain.”

“Why is there a cat in our apartment?” She said, folding her arms. 

“Well, here’s the story. I was walking around outside the bar and I saw this kitten abandoned in a box and I couldn’t just leave her there all alone! I took her to the vet and got her checked out and she’s fine, so I took her home and I didn’t plan on keeping her, but look at that face D.” Laurel held up the cat so Dinah could see her. She was extremely cute. “Now, I don’t know what kind of cat she is but be honest, is she not the cutest?”

Dinah stared at the cat for a few seconds and was struggling to keep a straight face. “What’s her name?”

“Well, this isn’t final and we can always change it if you really want to, this is just what I’ve been calling her-”

“Laurel.”

“Lasagna.” 

“Lasagna? You have been calling her Lasagna?” Dinah said, baffled. 

“Well, yes.” Laurel paused. “Are you mad? If you aren’t okay with this that is perfectly fine.”

Dinah sighed. “Honestly, no. I probably should be, but she is just _so_ cute. We can keep her.” Dinah crouched down so she was on the floor and the cat walked over to her and started inspecting her hand.

“Yes, thank you! You are the best girlfriend ever.” Laurel gave her a hug and almost knocked her to the ground. 

“I only ask that in the future you run these things by me. Okay?”

“Yes, of course.” Laurel said. “Now, I covered all of the things she will need, in terms of a bed, litter box, and food bowls, so we don’t really need to do anything more with getting things.”

“Okay, and cats don’t need constant attention so we will be able to leave her for a couple hours if we both need to get things done.” Dinah said. “But what we really need to talk about is how you arrived at the name Lasagna. How the hell did that happen?”

“If I knew I would tell you. It kinda just came to me and it fit.” Laurel laughed.

“I hate how much I actually agree with you on that.”

“Embrace it.” Laurel slung her arm around Dinah put her head on her shoulder while the cat sat in her lap. Lasagna meowed softly and nestled into Laurel’s leg. 

“Mmm. By the way, we need to go on another date soon. I have a really good idea for one, so what night do you want to go?” Dinah asked.

“Well, tomorrow won’t work. Our TV won’t watch itself…” Laurel said sarcastically. “No but really, tomorrow is good. Do I get to hear what it will be?”

Dinah stood up and kissed her forehead. “Absolutely not.” She got up to start dinner, but turned around and winked at Laurel before disappearing into the kitchen. 

“What will she be planning. I don’t know. Oh I don’t know.” Laurel said to the kitten in her lap, using a baby voice. “Oh god, you are so freaking cute.” 

“The impossible to shake Laurel Lance, taken down by a kitten. This is really a day to remember.” Dinah said from the kitchen. 

“We both know she wasn’t the first one to get my walls down. It was always you, D.” Laurel said. “Although Lasagna did it much quicker.” Dinah laughed quietly. 

Laurel played with the cat while Dinah prepared dinner. Once it was ready the two of them sat down and ate while Lasagna headbutted their legs. Dinah made them dinner most nights since Laurel couldn’t cook to save her life, so Laurel always cleaned. They found this out before they were dating when Dinah came home late from the bar and Laurel tried to make them spaghetti. The kitchen was a mess and the food was inedible. To make it easier and more enjoyable for the both of them, they decided that Dinah should cook and Laurel would clean up that way the work was split between them. Also, that way, they wouldn’t starve. 

“Are you going to tell me what we are doing tomorrow night?” Laurel asked once they cleaned up. 

“Not until tomorrow.” Dinah said.

“Not even a hint?”

“Nope.”

“Well then how will I know what to wear?” Laurel folded her arms. 

“You’ll look great no matter what.” Dinah said. “I’m going to bed, so I’ll see you upstairs?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a few minutes. I just need to find a place for Lasagna’s bed.”

“I still can’t believe you named her that.” 

“I know, but it’s perfect.” Laurel picked up the kitten. “Isn’t it perfect for you? Yes, it is.” She turned her to Dinah. “That is the face of someone named Lasagna.”

“Yeah, I know. Goodnight, Laurel. Love you.” She gave her and the cat a kiss.

“We love you too.” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was the night of Dinah’s surprise date and Laurel was extremely nervous. She trusts Dinah completely, but she was still nervous about doing something wrong. While they have been close for months, their romantic relationship was still pretty new. Laurel didn’t want to run the slightest risk of losing it. 

She walked into their bedroom where Dinah was getting ready. She was wearing a floor length red dress with a slit running up the skirt. “You are breathtaking.” Laurel told her.

“Thank you.” Dinah said. “So, what are you wearing?” 

“I think I need to know where we are going first, don’t I?” Laurel asked playfully. 

“Ohhhh, right. Well, I guess it is time you found out. We are going dancing.” 

“We’re going dancing?” Laurel asked with a concerned look. 

“Yep.” Dinah said with a smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you all think, and I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it's bit shorter than the others, but I'm going away and I will not be able to post for a week or so and I figured I should give you guys something even if it's short.
> 
> Also, the cat is named after my friend who isn't named Lasagna but it's a nickname we gave her so that was a gift to her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm sorry, I know it's been two weeks but I was away and then I had writer's block because I kinda started to hate my writing BUT I had a good idea so I think we will be back on track soon and I"ll try and post more regularly. So, enjoy this, and yeah. Have a great day!

Laurel crossed her arms “I see how it is. What do you want me to wear?” She said after the two of them stared at each other for some time. “I’m assuming you have everything planned out for tonight.”

“You know me so well.” Dinah took a bag out with a hanger and laid it down on their bed. “Open it.”

“Oh my god D, this is gorgeous.” Laurel took the dress out. She quickly put it on. It was a dark blue dress that had a low cut neckline and criss-crossed spaghetti straps in the back. The skirt hung loosely around her waist and stopped above her ankles. 

“You look even better than I imagined.” Dinah said. “I think I made the right choice with that dress.”

“You definitely did. Thank you.” Laurel pushed a lock of her hair out of her face and kissed her. “I’m going to finish getting ready. Meet you at the bar?”

“See you there.” Dinah went down to the bar where she saw Rose talking to Conner. He was definitely the happiest Dinah’s ever seen him and she was blushing so hard. Dinah waited until Conner left to go talk to her. “Hi Rose, how are things?” She asked.

“‘Things’ are really good. We’ve gone out three times and he’s so great. I really like him.” Rose said smiling. 

“That’s really great for you two, because you both seem so happy lately.”

“Speaking of, Dinah, you look pretty fancy tonight. What’s going on?” Rose commented.

“Well, I’m taking Laurel dancing.”

“You convinced her to go dancing with you? I’m impressed.” 

“She can pretty much get me to do anything.” Laurel said, coming up behind Dinah and taking her hand. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Dinah said suggestively. Laurel nudged her playfully in the side. 

“So, Rose, I heard you starting going out with Conner. Is that going well?” Laurel asked. 

“Yeah, it’s great. Dinah got me to ask him out.” Rose said smiling. 

“I’m glad. She’s good like that.” Laurel said.

“That’s true. Anyway, I should get back to work. Have fun tonight!” They said their goodbyes and Dinah and Laurel left. 

Dinah still wouldn’t tell Laurel the details, so the car ride pretty much consisted of Laurel asking questions while Dinah would just smile and wink. Finally, they pulled in front of a fancy restaurant with an outdoor bar. And a dance floor. There were about four couples slow dancing to the music. 

“This is the plan?” Laurel asked. Dinah nodded and laughed quietly. “Let’s do it.” They walked in and got a table for two outside, right next to the dance floor. 

“Have you ever been here before?” Dinah asked her. 

“No, I haven’t. It’s really nice though. I’m surprised I never noticed it. I’m assuming you have?” 

“Yeah, once. But I didn’t stay long. I was supposed to meet a guy here but they stood me up. I saw another girl, looked like she was just out of college, sitting alone at a two person table. I went over to talk to her and she also got stood up. By a guy she’s already gone on five dates with. She took a cab here so I gave her a ride home and I found out that she just didn’t have a job so I offered her one at my bar, and now she is one of my most trustworthy staff members.” Dinah explained. 

“Was that girl Rose?” Laurel asked. 

“Yeah, she was. That’s why I pushed her to ask out Conner because I met him in a similar situation.”

“Did you actually interview people to work for you or is everyone there just a kid you adopted?” Laurel teased.

“I mean, what was I supposed to do?” Dinah said back. “I have a thing for picking up strays.”

“That is another reason why I love you. And how I knew you would let us keep Lasagna.” 

“Well that was also because I have another soft spot for you.”

“I just know how to make you weak.” Dinah raised her eyebrow. “Not like that, weirdo. But it’s true.” Laurel nudged Dinah’s leg with her foot.

Dinah laughed. “Yes, I suppose that’s true.” The two of them bantered until a waiter came and took their orders. 

“So… I have a good idea about what we should do while we wait for our food…” Dinah offered innocently. 

“You’re going to do it. I guess I’ll have to say yes if you ask...” Laurel said. 

“Laurel Lance, may I have this dance?” Dinah stood up and held out her hand.

Laurel tried, and failed, to fight back a smile. “Of course.” Laurel took her hand and Dinah led her to the dance floor. The band was playing a slow song that neither of them could place. Laurel took the lead.

“You are really good at this.” Dinah mentioned as Laurel dipped her. “When did you learn?”

“My dad taught me when I was about eight, but not seriously. Once I started fighting I got better at dancing. They are oddly similar.” Laurel responded.

“I’ve found that too.” Laurel spun her around under her arm. After a few minutes, they relaxed into simpler steps and drew closer. They stayed like that until they saw a waiter set their food on their table. 

“So, when did you learn to dance?” Laurel asked once they took their seats. 

“When I was fourteen I went to a family wedding and one of my cousins taught me. We practiced a day before for like an hour, and while that didn’t do much I started to really like it and I got better as time went on.” Dinah said. “I haven’t danced in a long time though, it was nice to revisit that.”

“Yeah, me too.” They continued talking as they ate, and they stayed even after the waiter brought them the check.

“It’s getting late, do you think we should go?” Dinah said. 

“Sure, we should probably get home. Let’s go.” They paid and got up to leave, but some guy stopped them. 

“Hey, I was thinking, maybe we should go out for drinks sometime. What’d you say, baby?” The man said, as he reached out to touch Dinah’s shoulder. She moved away quickly.

“Sorry, no. I’m taken, as you can see.” She held up her hand which was entwined with Laurel’s. 

He tried to grab her again, this time more aggressively. They both moved out of the way in time. “I bet I could change that, if you give me a chance.”

“I am going to leave with my girlfriend. You are not going to follow or try and grab us, understand?” Dinah said. Laurel squeezed her hand and pulled her away. Once they got in the car Dinah spoke again. 

“I hate people like that.” 

“Why does that happen all the time?” Laurel asked. “Can’t they just mind their own damn business?” 

“I know, right? But, let’s not let it ruin our night. Let’s go home.” Dinah said, smiling.

“Nothing could ruin a night with you.” Laurel gave her a quick kiss and they drove back to the apartment. Once they got inside they were greeted by Lasagna attacking one of her toys. She meowed once she saw them and sat by her food. 

“Looks like she’s gotten accustomed to her new life.” Dinah said.

“Yes she has.” Dinah’s phone rang. “You can go take that, I’ll feed her.” 

“Thanks.” Dinah left the room to answer her phone. “Dinah Drake.”

_”Hey sweetheart, it's Mom.”_

“Mom?! It’s been months, how are you?”

_”I’m good! I’m calling because your father and I miss you, so we wanted to see you. Can you guys come over for dinner this weekend? You could spend the weekend here if you wanted. And you could bring your roommate, too. She seems like a great friend of yours.”_

“Uhh… I’ll have to check with her and I’ll let you know.” Dinah said, panicked.

_”Of course, let me know. Love you, bye!”_

“Bye Mom.” Dinah hung up the phone and leaned against the wall. She closed her eyes and released the breath she was holding as she sunk down to the floor. 

“Hey, what was that about?” Laurel asked, and then saw Dinah’s distressed state. “You okay?” She sat down next to her. 

“That was my mother, inviting us over for the weekend.” Dinah said. “I told her I would check with you and let her know.”

“That sounds really fun! I’d love to meet your parents, and I’d like to see the place where the woman I love grew up.” Laurel said excitedly. “What’s the problem?” 

“Well, it’s exactly that. My parents are really homophobic. I didn’t tell them we were together yet because I haven’t spoken to them in months. If they knew I was with you… They would hate me.” Dinah explained. 

“Oh, D, I’m so sorry. I’ll still go with you, and we can pretend that we aren’t dating. Funny, it will be like the opposite of meeting my family.”

Dinah offered a weak smile. “Thanks. I’ll text her and tell her we will be there. They are fairly judgmental, so be prepared for them to grill you.” 

“Can’t wait.” 

Dinah rested her head on her shoulder. “Thank you, Laurel. It’s hard to see them, because even though they wouldn’t accept me, I still love them. I mean, they’re my parents. I guess as long as they don’t know, we’ll be fine.” 

“Anything for you. I’ll take care of you, don’t worry.” Laurel kissed the top of her head.

“For the record, in case they find out, I don’t care what they say about you. You are perfect for me.” Dinah said.

“You’re the best, you know that?” Laurel said. Dinah picked her head up and looked at her.

“Yeah, I kinda am.” She joked. 

“Nice to see you’re feeling better.” Laurel said, as Dinah put her head back on her shoulder and yawned. “Want to go to bed?”

“Sure. Although I am pretty comfortable here.” Dinah said. “But I know I won’t feel the same way in the morning.” Laurel stood up and held out her hand to help Dinah up. They got changed and fell asleep almost immediately after they laid down in their bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this, and I also hope you are excited for the next chapter because I really am. Let me know if you have any thoughts!
> 
> Also, I understand that having parents that aren't entirely accepting hits pretty close to home for some people, and if that applies to you I am sorry and I love you for who you are <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest with you guys, this chapter got away from me. It's longer than the rest and that wasn't intentional. So, enjoy!
> 
> The song is Still Have You by Freya Ridings

Laurel woke up to the smell of bacon, and that could only mean one thing. Dinah was stressed. She only ever made bacon when she was close to freaking out, so Laurel got downstairs as quick as possible. 

“Dinah are you… Jesus Christ it looks like you’re cooking for twenty people.” It looked like Dinah was making eggs, bacon, and pancakes all at the same time. 

“I know, I know, it’s just everything is going so well and then my parents-” Dinah rushed, as she aggressively mixed something.

“Woah, D, slow down.” Laurel took the bowl out of her hands and set it down. She put her hands on her shoulders to steady her shaking. “Talk to me, what’s going on?”

Dinah took a shaky breath. “Okay, okay. I haven’t spoken to my parents in months and I haven’t seen them in even longer. They never supported my life choices. They don’t like that I ride a motorcycle, they hate the fact that my main business is a bar, and when I was in sixth grade I told my parents I thought a girl was really pretty and they told me I would go to hell for that. When I was a kid they wanted me to ace all my classes and not sing, they wanted me to be good at normal sports instead of martial arts, and while I know that they love me in some way it’s just hard to see that when I’m with them.” Dinah said quickly. “And things are going so well between us that I don’t want you to meet them and not want me anymore and I know that sounds stupid but I’m scared.”

Laurel moved her hands off her shoulders and grabbed her hands which were balled into fists. “Dinah, nothing in the world could make me want to leave you. You are my entire world and I would never give up on us. I’m really sorry your parents didn’t approve of the things you did but I’m so glad that you didn’t let that stop you.” Laurel leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching. “Dinah, I am going to be with you the whole time. Right by your side. We can do it, okay?”

Dinah let out a quiet, “okay,” and closed her eyes. “Thank you.” She said softly. 

“Of course.” Laurel pulled her in for a hug and Dinah buried her head in her shoulder. “ I got you.” They stood like that until they heard a beeping. 

“Oh no, my waffles.” She said, wiping her face. 

“You made waffles along with all of this? We are only two people.” Laurel said with a grin.

“Yeah, I know. I got stressed and anxious so I made bacon, and then it kind of snowballed into all of this.” She gestured around the kitchen.

“I knew as soon as I smelled it that you were worried.” That made Dinah laugh quietly.

“What should we do with all this food?” 

“I have no idea. I mean the waffles and pancakes are definitely burned, so those can go. What else did you make?” Laurel said.

“Two kinds of eggs, fried and scrambled. There’s a tray of muffins cooling over there, and I was making whipped cream for the fruit.” Dinah pointed around the kitchen.

“That’s a lot of food.” Laurel whispered. They both smiled. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What time do you want to get to my parent’s house?” Dinah asked Laurel while they were at the bar. “My mom is trying to figure out plans and stuff so she wants to know what works for you.” 

“We go tomorrow, right? I think any time is good. How does four sound?” Laurel answered. 

“That’s good. Good, good. I’ll let her know.” Dinah said.

Laurel grabbed her hand across the bar. “Hey. You’ll be okay. I know it.” 

“I know. Thank you.” Dinah gave her hand a squeeze. “I am going to go sing, because that can always calm me down. Are you good to just stay here?”

“Drinking while watching you sing is literally one of the best things in this world.” Laurel said. 

“Oh, I like you,” Dinah kissed her forehead and went onstage. Laurel smiled. 

“ _Shake your head, say "It's mad, " you always do. Hold me down, tell me how it's not true. These wings could lift us both, but you don't think so. You are all I wanted, so._ ” 

Dinah always felt like she was flying while she was onstage. She wasn’t fully aware of the world around her, and most of the time the only other person she thought of was Laurel because that’s who she was always singing about. 

“ _If I threw it all away, would I still have you? If I tried to hit the breaks, would you see right through? This ain't the fair-weather love like I'm used to, no. If I threw it all away, would I still have you?_.” 

Even before she realized her feelings for Laurel, Dinah felt the world melt away when she sang. Her bar was always crowded and full of conversations, but they seemed to fade away too. The people were silent for the most part, and the wait staff stopped moving. 

“ _Would I still have you?_ ” Dinah finished her songs. Her customers clapped and the bar went right back to normal. 

“Feeling better?” Laurel asked once she got back. 

“Feeling a lot better.” Dinah said. She put her arms around Laurel’s shoulders and kissed her. 

“I feel like this doesn’t even need to be said, but I’m going to say it anyway. You were incredible up there.” Laurel said once Dinah broke off the kiss. 

“Why thank you.” Dinah said flirtatiously, and kissed her again. She started tangling her fingers in Laurel’s hair.

Laurel wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her close to her. “Do you want to go upstairs?” She asked in the same tone. 

“I definitely want to do that.” Dinah said. Laurel got up and led her upstairs while holding her hand. “Our bed is really far away.” She observed when they got upstairs. 

“I mean, I could make that trip easier for you.” Laurel said vaguely. 

“Could you now? I think you should.” Dinah grinned.

“Then I will.” Laurel picked her up and Dinad wrapped her legs around her waist and she was carried into their room. Laurel kissed her again and then tossed her onto their bed. Laurel climbed in right after her and leaned over her. Dinah immediately pulled her closer and started to kiss her. Needless to say, that distracted Dinah for the rest of the night. 

“That was nice.” Dinah said once they were laying in bed. 

“It most certainly was.” Laurel responded.

“I should get up and get dressed though, I should set up the bar for us to leave tomorrow.” Dinah swung her legs over the side and stood up.

“That’s a great plan, but what if you just didn’t do any of that and I could just continue to stare at you lovingly.” Laurel said.

“Mhm, I do like that plan better.” Dinah gave her a kiss on the forehead. “But I really should figure that out.” 

“Yeah, I know. I should probably go feed Lasagna, it’s almost her dinner time.” Laurel got up as well. “What are we going to do about her? Do you know anyone who could watch her?”

“I’ll ask Rose, but she might be busy enough. Maybe Conner would want to. I’ll ask him as well.”

“Okay, good. I can show them what to do so just send them up.”

“Perfect. I’ll be back soon.” Dinah went downstairs and asked Conner if he could watch Lasagna, and he said that he would love to. She sent him upstairs and she set Rose up to run the bar for the next couple of days.

“Hi, Laurel? It’s Conner, Dinah sent me.” He said, walking inside. 

“Hey, come in. I’ll show you what to do. This is Lasagna, by the way.” Laurel held her up to him. 

“Wow, she’s actually one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.” He said.

“I see why Dinah hired you, you know how to win people’s affections.” Laurel said. “Okay, here’s the plan. I’ll write this down for you too, in case you forget. You really only need to come once a day, and midday would work best because then her meals will be evenly spaced…” Laurel went on explaining and showed Conner where everything was. Laurel knew he was the right choice because Lasagna kept following him around and running into his legs. 

“Sounds good, I think that all makes sense. I have Dinah’s number in case I have any questions so there shouldn’t be any problems. I would also like to say that I am glad the two of you trust me enough to watch your cat.” Conner said. 

“Of course. Dinah thinks of you as one of her best staff members and she has said great things about you.” 

“Thanks, I was worried she would start to like me less when I started going out with Rose. I’m terrified of breaking her heart.” 

“You’re a good kid. From what I’ve heard, I think you two are built to last.” Laurel said. “I wish I got together with Dinah sooner, so my advice to you is that when you meet that person who makes you feel butterflies every time you see them, you should never let them go.”

“Thank you, really. I hope we make it.” The two of them said goodbye and Conner went back down to the bar. He got there and Rose turned to talk to him, but before she could say anything he wrapped his arms around her. She looked at him, surprised, and then grabbed his face and kissed him. 

“I’m assuming your cat sitting training went well?” Rose said, after breaking the kiss. 

“Yes, yes it did.” Conner said. He kissed her quickly and then went back to work. Rose remained in place, very flustered but very happy. 

Dinah laughed to herself, wondering what Laurel must have said to him upstairs. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was the next day and it was time for them to leave, and Dinah was so close to freaking out. The only thing stopping her was the reassuring looks and Laurel kept giving her. 

“Hey, D. Why don’t I drive? I think it will give you time to clear your head, and you can focus on keeping yourself calm.” Laurel offered. 

“That’s probably smart. Thank you.” Dinah said. She handed her the keys and then the two of them left. The longer they were in the car the calmer Dinah became. That was until they pulled up in front of her parent’s house.

“Is this it?” Laurel asked. 

“Yep. Yeah, it is.” Dinah said, and then took a deep breath. “I can do this.”

“I believe in you.”

“Oh, and because we can’t do this while we are there…” Dinah turned to face Laurel and gave her a long kiss. Once it was over they put their foreheads together. “I know hiding us will be hard, but I really want this to go well. It’s not that I’m embarrassed by you or that I want to hide my feelings for you, it’s just that they would never want to speak to me again. I’m not ready to tell them.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I respect you not wanting them to know. I’ll be there for you if, or when, you decide to tell them. Whatever you need.” Laurel said. 

“You’re the best.” Dinah sighed and opened the door. “Let’s do this thing.” The two of them walked to the front steps, unfortunately not hand in hand. Dinah went to knock on the door but before she could it flew open. 

“Oh my gosh, Dinah! It’s so great to see you, come in!” Her mom said, pulling her in for a hug. “You look great, how are things?” Dinah opened her mouth to answer but her mom kept talking. “You must be Laurel, hi. We are so happy to have you here.” 

“Hi, Mrs. Drake, it’s nice to meet you. Thanks for having me.” Laurel said. 

“Oh please, call me Anne.” Anne pulled Laurel in for a hug as well which surprised her. Dinah mouthed a ‘sorry’ to Laurel when she looked at her. The two of them walked into the house and Anne led them to the living room, where Dinah’s father was sitting. 

He stood up to shake Laurel’s hand when she walked in. “I’m David, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Hi, I’m Laurel, thank you again for having me.” 

“Hey Dad.” Dinah said. He gave her a quick hug and Laurel could sense the tension between the two of them. 

“So, Dinah, how are things with your bar?” Anne asked.

“Things are great, it’s always busy and I enjoy running it.” Dinah said. “I have a good staff which helps too.” 

“Well, I should hope it’s bringing in money because you insisted on doing it. You could’ve become a lawyer or a doctor…” David said. 

“Dad, we’ve been through this. I make plenty of money and I’m happy.” Dinah said. Her dad just shook his head. 

Laurel looked at Dinah with a subtle look of concern, and she shrugged slightly. “Your house is beautiful.” Laurel said after no one said anything for a minute. “How long have you lived here?”

“Thank you so much! We moved here about eight years ago. We figured it was time for a change of scenery.” Anne said. “David actually added the garage after we moved in. And he redid the kitchen.”

“Wow, that’s really impressive.” Laurel said. 

“Thank you. I always need a project.” David said. They continued talking for about an hour, mostly just about what was going on in Dinah and Laurel’s life. There were plenty of moments where no one was talking or when either of Dinah’s parents made a passive aggressive comment about her choices. While Dinah did warn her about this, Laurel was really shocked at how much they said stuff like that. She really didn’t understand how Dinah’s parents just didn’t support her life that she built for herself. 

“I’m going to go start dinner, it’ll be ready in about an hour.” Anne said. “Why don’t you two unpack and Dinah, why don’t you show Laurel around?”

“Yeah, okay.” Dinah said. The two of them got up and went to grab their bags. Dinah led her to a guest bedroom that had two full sized beds. 

“So… you’re parents…” Laurel said once they closed the door. 

“I don’t know, are they what you expected?” Dinah asked as she laid down on one of the beds. 

“I mean you did warn me but I didn’t think that they would just tell you how they don’t approve of what you’ve done with your life. I honestly thought that they would be a little more subtle. Especially since I was there too.” Laurel said, sitting down on the other bed. 

“Yup, they love letting people know.” Dinah sighed and sat up. “I guess I’ll go show you around. While I don’t love coming back here, I have to admit it’s pretty nice.” 

Laurel smiled and the Dinah showed her around and then the two of them sat in the backyard. 

“Hey girls, come on in. Dinner’s ready.” Anne said. The two of them went inside and sat down at the table. 

“Hi honey, thanks for cooking tonight.” David said once he sat down.

“Of course! I hope you all like Lasagna.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so I meant to make this chapter the entire weekend with Dinah's parents but then I got carried away writing other stuff before it so I'm going to break it up. And as for that last line, I know I'm not funny but I really loved it sooooo hope you liked that. 
> 
> Also, I'd like to dedicate the end of the bar scene to my friend who's been reading this because I specifically wrote it for her for two reasons. 1, because it makes her uncomfortable, and 2, because I felt it wasn't clear enough that Laurel was the top.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy and I'm sorry that this took longer than anticipated, but there's been a lot going on lol. 
> 
> Slight TW, homophobic parents.

“Oh, yeah…” Dinah said. Laurel could barely keep herself from collapsing with laughter. “Yeah Lasagna is great.”

“I’m glad!” Anne didn’t seem to notice that the two of them couldn’t keep a straight face.

“So Laurel, what’s your family like?” David asked after they were talking for a little while. 

“Well, I have a younger sister named Sara. My parents are separated, but they are on good terms and I see them pretty frequently.” She answered.

“That sounds nice. When Dinah was younger she wanted a little sister.” David said.

“Yeah, and it’s also nice that you see your parents. This is the first time Dinah has visited us in a little over a year…” Anne said. 

“Mom, I’ve been busy.” Dinah said. Her mom just raised her eyebrows and continued eating. “So, Dad, how’s work going?” She asked.

“Can’t complain. Most people like me.” He said.

“Oh, what do you do?” Laurel asked.

“I’m a highschool history teacher.” David said. “I have some good students, but some don’t seem interested in what I’m teaching them.”

“Teaching’s a hard job, you must have a lot of patience.” Laurel said. Dinah snickered, but Laurel was the only one who noticed. David just nodded.

“Dinah, are you still singing?” Anne asked. 

“Yeah, I am. It helps with the tips at the bar.” Dinah said. “It’s actually something that gets requested a lot.” Her face lit up while she was talking about it. “People really enjoy it and it’s one of my favorite things to do. Also, it makes me really happy and it boosts the general morale of my wait staff.” Dinah smiled brightly at her parents for the first time since they arrived. 

David and Anne seemed unimpressed. “The two of us were talking, and we thought that maybe singing isn’t the best thing for you to do. I know you liked it when you were a kid but you could focus on things that are so much more useful.” Anne said. 

“Mom, please. I like it and it is useful in my life.” Dinah said. 

“Well, I don’t think that you are applying yourself. And maybe, there are better things for you to do that certain people will find more… attractive.” She continued. 

“More attractive?” Dinah questioned.

“You really should start thinking about getting married.” Anne said.

“Mom, stop. Please.” Dinah glared at her which made her stay quiet. The more time Laurel spent with Dinah’s family, the more surprised she was at how great of a person Dinah turned out to be. Her parents weren’t accepting people, yet Dinah took in every kid she could find to work for her despite whatever their background was. 

The rest of the dinner was fairly quiet, with the occasional comment about how good the food was or Laurel asking questions about David’s job. Once they finished eating David cleared the table, and then they went back to sitting and talking. Dinah and Laurel told them about their cat, but they intentionally left out her name. The fact that they have a cat was the only thing that Dinah’s parents didn’t ridicule her for. 

“Well, Laurel and I had a long drive so I think we are going to go to bed.” Dinah said after a while. Laurel looked at her thankfully. 

“Okay, good night. We’ll see you in the morning.” David said. 

“I’ll drop off some towels in your room soon, I forgot to put them on your bed.” Anne said. Dinah and Laurel nodded at her in thanks as they went upstairs.

“Oh my god, they are absolutely exhausting.” Dinah said once they got into their room. “I am so sorry.” 

Laurel laughed. “You’re not wrong, they are tiring. I offered to come with you to help you out, so don’t feel like you need to apologize.” 

“Thanks. I mean, one upside is that my mom is a great cook so it’s a good thing you got to experience that.” Dinah grinned.

“That’s true, if the rest of the weekend goes south it’ll be worth it because of how good the lasagna was.” Laurel said back. “Also, can we talk about how weird it is that your mom made lasagna?” 

“I have absolutely no idea. How does that happen?” Dinah asked. 

“I don’t know, it’s like she was right here with us.” Laurel said. 

“Yes, she’s a very important part of our family.” Dinah said. 

Laurel took a step closer to Dinah and took her hands. “I like our little family.” She said quietly. 

“Me too.” Dinah whispered back. She pulled Laurel closer and gave her a kiss. 

Unfortunately, Anne was standing in the doorway at that moment. She dropped the towels that were in her arms. “Dinah?!” She let out when she noticed what they were doing. Dinah put her hand over her mouth and spun around to face her mother. Laurel’s eyes widened and nervously ran her fingers through her hair. 

“Mom, wait, I can explain-” Dinah said as her mom ran out. 

“I need some air.” Anne said. Dinah looked back at Laurel who nodded at her, indicating her to follow her mom. 

“Mom, please. Stop walking for just a minute.” Dinah pleaded. Anne spun around with hate in her eyes. 

“Why? Why should I even have to look at you? Do you realize what you have done to our family? Whatever it is you are, it’s wrong. We can’t have that. You don’t belong. You and your roommate aren't natural. I can’t believe you would do this to me. To me and your father.” Anne spat. 

“I’m not doing it to you! It’s my life! When will you realize that you can’t control what I do anymore? That the choices I make aren’t a personal attack? I’m just trying to be happy! And guess what, Mom? I am happy. Laurel Lance, my girlfriend, makes me a better person. She makes me want to wake up in the morning. It doesn’t matter what you say, I will still love her!” Dinah shouted back. 

“You’re going to hell. The both of you.” Anne pointed to her and then Laurel, who had just come outside.” You are no longer welcome in my home anymore. Dinah, this thing for women is a disease. It’s wrong and you shouldn’t let it happen. I can’t believe that after everything we have done for you, you have chosen to be like this. As far as I’m concerned, you are no longer my daughter.” 

“For the record, it’s not a choice. You need to learn how to deal with people who don’t think and act like you.” Dinah said as she went to walk away. She turned around after she got to where Laurel was standing. “And you know what, Mom? Good. I don’t want you in my life if you won’t accept me. I know who I am, and you can’t change me.” Dinah pulled Laurel in for a long kiss, which caused Anne to start shouting again. This time, she was shouting slurs and telling them all about how they will burn in hell. Dinah and Laurel raced upstairs, grabbed their bags, and threw them in the car.

David came outside before they got in and called out. “Dinah, wait!” Dinah turned around, ready to tell him to go to hell, but something in his face stopped her. “Dinah, I’m sorry.”

Dinah just crossed her arms. 

“I know that I may never understand your choices, and while I don’t understand exactly how this all works, I want you to know that I still love you. You’re still my daughter.” He said.

“What about Mom? As far as she’s concerned I’m not a part of her family anymore.”

“I’m going to try and reason with her. I… I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you. I think you’re a good person. Even though I don’t really understand you or your decisions, your mother has no right to say anything about it.”

“Dad…” She gave him a quick hug. “Thank you.”

“I hope she makes you happy.” David said. 

“She does. She always will.” Dinah looked back at Laurel lovingly. She gave her father one last hug and went back to the car. “I’ll drive.” Laurel tossed her the keys and they left. While pulling out of the driveway, they saw Anne come out of the house and start yelling again. 

“Dinah I am so sorry about that. You don’t deserve to have that happen to you.” Laurel said. “Are you okay?” 

Dinah paused for a moment before responding. “I don’t know. Standing up to my mom felt good, but it also really hurt. Even when she didn’t approve of my life, she was still my mother and I thought… I don’t know, I thought that we would be okay. But now it’s like I’ve really lost her. After what she said to me, and to you, there’s really no way to fix us.” Dinah’s eyes got watery. “There’s nothing left to fix.” Laurel reached over and grabbed one of her hands. 

“I don’t know what to say, Dinah. I’m so sorry.” Laurel said. “I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you.” Dinah just looked at her and offered her a soft smile. “What about your dad? He looked like he was helping you.” 

“Yeah, he tried. He said that even if he didn’t understand me or us, I would still be his daughter. He also said that he would try to talk with my mom, but I don’t know if anything will stop her from hating me.” 

“I hope he can reason with your mom.” Laurel said. Dinah nodded. 

“What about you? She said some pretty awful things to you as well.” Dinah asked. 

“I wasn’t really listening to her. I was more focused on you.” She answered. “Thank you for defending me.”

“Of course I defended you. I couldn’t let her, or anyone, talk about you that way.” Dinah sighed. “Why can’t she see what I see in you?” She asked desperately.

“That, my love, is because you are better than most people.” Laurel said. 

Dinah blushed. “I try.” 

They drove in silence for a little while, with one of Dinah’s hands on the wheel and the other holding Laurel’s hand. 

“Well, Dinah, there’s one more thing we should address.” Laurel said. 

“What is it?” Dinah asked, looking concerned. 

“We still have the whole weekend off, and would you look at that? It’s still only Friday.”

“We have no plans, someone’s watching Lasagna, and someone’s manning the bar. What should we do?” Dinah asked.

“How would you feel if I knew of a beach house we could go to for the weekend?” Laurel asked. 

“I’m all over it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone please give me suggestions about what you want to see because I need some ideas lol. As always, let me know what you think, I appreciate all comments and kudos.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I explain myself at the end

Because Laurel knew where it was, the two of them got out of the car and switched seats.The trip to the beach house was fairly long, but it went by quickly. Laurel figured out the way there while Dinah got lost in her thoughts. 

“Hey, Dinah, I know asking if you’re okay is a pretty stupid question, so is there anything I can do?” Laurel asked after a while. 

Dinah smiled softly. “You’re already doing it. You’re here, and that’s all I need.” 

Laurel smiled and nodded. “Hopefully this weekend will take your mind off of things.” After a couple of minutes Laurel pulled into a small house right on the beach. “Come on, let’s go.” She grabbed Dinah’s hand and pulled her along with her into the house. It was smaller than their apartment, but it was very cozy. They had a porch outside their room that went right to the beach. 

“Laurel, this is one of the cutest houses ever.” Dinah said after looking around. The two of them set down their bags in their room. Dinah jumped back on the bed and laid down. Laurel joined her. 

“How are you doing?” Laurel asked, interlocking her fingers with Dinah’s. 

“Worse than I thought I’d be.” She answered, forcing out a laugh. “I'm not going to lie to you, I didn’t think it would hurt this much. I knew my mother wouldn’t ever accept me for who I am, but I thought she would still love me. She might think she still does, in her own twisted way. Maybe that’s why it hurts. Like I said before, there’s nothing left of us. We aren’t much of a family anymore.” 

“I hate that there’s nothing that I can do to change her mind.” 

“Me too. And it’s not just the fact that she doesn’t like who I am. She can’t see how happy I am. My life is exactly what I want. I own a bar, I can sing whenever I want, I have a lovely little cat, and every morning I wake up next to the woman I love. It’s the happiest I’ve been in years and she can’t see past the fact that I’m not living the exact life she did.” Dinah closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “The worst part is that she said that stuff to you too. My mother can come after me, that’s what she does. But she can’t go after you. She should not have said any of those things to you. I know you said that nothing could make you leave me but after all that I understand if you want to get as far away from me as possible.” 

“Dinah, I am never going to leave you. I am going to be here as long as I live. Don’t let your mom get in your head. I’m here. I’ll always be here.” Laurel sat up and pulled Dinah up with her. 

“I know that you do really love me. I don’t doubt that.” Dinah whispered. “It’s just with all this going on it’s hard for me to welcome that, you know? I can’t see past the fact that she won’t accept me sometimes.” 

“I know.” Laurel pulled Dinah in for a hug. Dinah immediately relaxed in her arms. Laurel kissed the top of her head while Dinah cried softly. “I’m so sorry D.” Seeing Dinah so upset made Laurel tear up as well. She hugged her tighter as Dinah’s shoulders started to shake. Dinah was one of the strongest people Laurel knew. She knew that she must be hurt pretty bad to show it like this. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laurel woke up to an empty bed. After she stood up she noticed that she had been wearing the same clothes as the day before. She sighed. That meant Dinah had fallen asleep crying. “Dinah?” Laurel called out.

“I’m out here.” Dinah responded from the porch. Laurel went out to see her. 

“You’re up early.” Laurel commented. Dinah nodded. “How’re you doing?” She asked, putting an arm around her and leaning on her shoulder. 

“Better. Not all the way, but better.” Dinah answered. “Thank you for last night. I’m glad you stayed with me.” 

“Always.” 

“I know I fell asleep crying and…” Dinah started.

“You don’t need to explain. I understand. Let’s just watch the sunrise.” Laurel said. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” The two of them stood there silently until the sun came up. “I’d offer to make you breakfast, but I’d rather not burn the house down.” Laurel spoke up. 

Dinah laughed. “That’s probably smart. I’ll make something for us.” 

“Perfect. You’re the best.” 

“I could say the same about you.” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We should have dinner on the beach tonight.” Dinah suggested later that day. 

“Love that idea. Need me to do anything?” Laurel offered. 

“Actually, yes. Can you go to the store and get some wine? I’ll take care of the rest.” 

“Sure. I’ll get right on that.” 

“Meet me on the beach when you get back.” Dinah said. Laurel smiled and nodded at her as she left. Dinah made dinner and set up a table on the beach for them. A little while after Dinah got everything set up, Laurel came walking down the beach with a bottle of wine. 

“You look amazing, Dinah.” Laurel said. She was wearing a long flowered sundress and her curls were loose and blowing in the wind. 

“Thank you. As do you, as always.” Dinah responded. 

“I’ve been wearing the same thing all day.” 

“Still applies.” Dinah said. 

Laurel laughed. “Thanks.” She said. She poured them both some wine and they started to eat. “How do you think Lasagna is doing?” Laurel asked.

“I bet she’s fine. I hope Conner is having fun with her.” Dinah answered. “You worried about her?” 

“A little bit, but I trust him.” 

“Yeah, me too. Rose texted me earlier and said things were going smoothly with both the bar and Lasagna.” 

“I’m glad. They’re good kids” They fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes after that. 

“I know I have said this about a thousand times, but thank you.” Dinah said, gabbing Laurel’s hand across the table. “Thank you for helping me keep it together when I was freaking out about my parents, for being there with me, and for helping me process what happened with my mom. It might take me awhile to come to terms with it, but thanks to you I’m okay now. If you weren’t there for me I don’t know what would’ve happened.” 

Laurel leaned over the table and kissed her. “Of course. When I first moved in with you, I didn’t know exactly what it was I felt for you, but I knew that I would always want to be by your side through everything. And I always will be.” Dinah smiled and started to tear up.

“I love you.” She said, wiping her eyes. 

“I love you.” Laurel said back, also tearing up. “Since when did we become all sappy?” She asked, laughing.

“I have no idea.” Dinah said. “I’m not opposed to it, though.”

“Neither am I, oddly enough.” Laurel said. They talked for another few minutes and eventually migrated to a towel that Dinah had laid down in the sand. 

“Sunsets have always been able to calm me down.” Dinah said. 

“Why is that?” Laurel asked.

“No matter what is going on, the sunset is always the same. The sun will always set and rise again in the morning, you know? That won’t change.” Dinah said. 

“Yeah, I get that. No matter where you are, the sun will eventually set and the days will start all over.” Laurel added.

“Sometimes I wish life was like that.” 

“Feeling any better about your mom?”

Dinah smiled. “Is it that obvious?” 

“I’ve learned to read you pretty well.” Laurel responded. 

“I can’t say that I’ve made my peace with it, but I think I’m pretty okay now. I know I have people who love me and I can figure the rest out when it comes.” Dinah said. “And, it doesn’t hurt that I have a pretty awesome girlfriend who believes in me.” She said, pulling Laurel in closer. 

“Why thank you.” Thunder rumbled in the distance. “Hey, D, did you check the weather by any chance?” She asked. 

“I did not. That would’ve been a good idea.” Dinah responded as it started to rain. “We should pack this stuff up.” They both got up and started to put everything away, but the rain and wind started to pick up and it began to downpour. They were pretty far away from the house and they had a lot of stuff to carry. 

“You know, it might’ve been.” She shouted over the wind. They were both drenched in seconds. “Should we just leave the stuff and run for it?” 

“Might as well.” Dinah yelled back. 

“Wait a second.” Laurel grabbed her wrist and pulled Dinah up against her so their faces were only inches apart. Their lips met as the storm swirled around them. “Okay, now let’s go.” Laurel said after they pulled apart. Dinah got so flustered she almost tripped when Laurel pulled her back to the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I feel like I haven't posted in literal years and I do have good reasons. I had no idea where I wanted this to go and every time I tried to write there were issues. So I still don't know where this is going but I'm working on it. Chapters will be a little less frequent but I won't abandon this. 
> 
> So with that said, let me know what you think and all that jazz. I appreciate any and all feedback.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I made you guys wait so long, but here it is. It has been hard but I did it

“We were out in the rain for less than ten minutes and yet we are completely soaked.” Laurel said, wiping her face. 

Dinah smiled. “My clothes are so stuck to me. Sorry our date got cancelled.” She started to take off her soaked dress. 

“Don’t worry about… oh and your dress is off.” Laurel cut herself off. 

“Mhm.” Dinah smirked. 

“Can I kiss you?” Laurel asked, stepping closer. 

“I definitely think you should do that.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the weekend was pure bliss. Dinah forgot her issues with her family for the most part, so their trip was full of uninterrupted happiness. Unfortunately, it had to end sometime. 

“I’m really sad to be leaving this place. I had a lot of fun this weekend.” Dinah said while they were loading the car Sunday night.

“Me too. Although it will be nice to be home.” Laurel responded.

“Yes, it will. I think Lasagna will be happy to see us.” Dinah said. Laurel smiled in agreement. “Also I’m sure Rose will be happy to have me take the bar back.” 

“True, it must be stressful.” The two of them finished packing the car and went back to lock all the doors in the house. 

“I’ll drive.” Dinah said while they walked back to the car. Laurel tossed her the keys. 

“So. Best part of the weekend, go.” Laurel said once they were on the road for a while. 

“You.” Dinah said, looking at her lovingly. 

“You’re so good.” Laurel responded, blushing.

“What was yours?” Dinah asked, laughing at how flustered Laurel got. 

“I feel like saying you would be too repetitive, but just know that it’s true.” Laurel smirked. “Anyway, it was definitely getting our picnic getting rained out. That was a nice night.”

Dinah agreed. “Nice morning, too.” 

“You just had to go there, didn’t you Drake?” Laurel asked sarcastically. 

“I felt obligated to.” Dinah took a deep breath before talking again. “I know I’ve said this like a million times, but thank you so much for making my weekend so much better. It started off as some of the worst days of my life but it turned into some of the best. I love you so much, thank you for being you.”

“As long as I’m alive, I’ll try and make you as happy as possible. I love you too, D.” Laurel said. “And look, we’re home.” She said as they pulled in. 

“Ah yes, home sweet home.” They grabbed their bags and went upstairs. 

“Lasagna!” Laurel exclaimed once they got inside. She meowed in response. “Oh, baby how have you been?” 

Dinah wanted to laugh at Laurel’s baby voice but the two of them were just too cute. “Aw, we missed you too Lasagna. Have you been good for Conner?” Lasagna started purring and prancing around them. “I should go check on Rose, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She gave both Laurel and Lasagna a kiss on their heads. She went to the bar and was immediately greeted by Rose running into her arms.

“I am so glad you’re back. Please help me.” She pleaded. 

“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” Dinah asked, alarmed. 

“Well, yes but I mean it’s not a big deal because I’m sure you deal with this all the time but it’s new for me-” Rose said hurriedly.

“Slow down, breath, and let me see what I can do.” Dinah said calmly. 

“Okay, okay.” Rose sighed. “There’s this guy who keeps coming in here. He keeps hitting on all the younger waitresses and even the other customers in here. It’s been making everyone really uncomfortable and multiple people have tried to get rid of him but he just won’t leave.” She pointed at some guy who looked over fifty. “That guy over there.” 

Dinah’s face immediately went from concerned to furious. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, I’m going to go handle it.”

“Thank you so much. Be careful.” Rose warned. 

Dinah walked over to the guy Rose told her about. “You. Get out. Now.” She declared loudly. 

“Who, me? I haven’t done anything.” He said in defense. 

“Can those girls behind you vouch for that? Neither of them look all that happy to see you.” Dinah gestured to the girls behind him that clearly wanted to be left alone. 

“It’s not your problem, bitch. Get out of my face.” He walked closer to her trying to intimidate her.

“Actually, no. It _is_ my problem because you’re in _my_ bar. So either you get out of my bar on your own, or I’ll have to remove you.” Dinah said unflinching. 

“Look, I could take all of your security guards, trust me. Good luck trying.” He turned around to go back to preying on the two women. 

“Oh I wasn’t talking about them.” Dinah grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back and whispered in his ear. “I could wipe the floor with you right now. I feel you struggling and we both know you can’t move.” 

“You stupid girl I’m going to-” 

“I’m not done. You see all these people? They are watching you about to get your ass kicked unless you leave. Pay close attention to the fact that none of them are concerned for my safety. They know you’d be down in seconds.” She pushed his arm back further so that he was practically whimpering. “So I suggest you walk out of here without making a scene. Do we have an understanding?” Dinah released him and he scurried away. “You girls okay?” 

“Yes, we are now. Thank you so much.” One of them answered. Dinah nodded and went back to Rose. 

“Dinah that was so badass! Thank you, thank you.” Rose said. “I hate that there are creeps like him everywhere but watching you almost make them cry makes me believe in people.” 

“Of course Rose. I’ll protect the people I love and I agree, it’s kinda fun making grown men sad.” Dinah responded. “How’s Conner? I haven’t seen him today, and I know Laurel wanted to ask him how Lasagna was.” 

“He should be coming in soon.” She answered. “He told me he was running late but didn’t say why.” 

“I hope everything’s okay. Let me know when you see him.” Rose nodded and Dinah went back behind the bar. 

“Hi, hello, sorry I’m late I uhhh… got these for you.” Conner stumbled in and handed Rose a bouquet of smushed flowers. “I promise they looked better when I got them but then I ran into someone on the way here and I also dropped them in a puddle… I tried.” He rubbed the back of his neck and blushed. “Hi.” 

“Hi Conner. Thank you, for these. I still love them.” She gave him a quick kiss. “Oh and Dinah wanted to see you.” 

“Ok, thanks.” He met Dinah, who was talking to Laurel, by the bar. “Sorry I’m late, but welcome back! How’s Lasagna doing?” 

“She’s good! She was happy to see us. How was she for you?” Laurel asked. 

“She was good. The first time I went over she seemed reluctant to let me pet her, but then she realized how needy she was and gave up being stubborn.” 

“I’m glad.”

“Thanks so much for watching her. And don’t worry about being late, you being dorky because of Rose was fun to watch.” Dinah said. Conner blushed which made them both laugh. 

“Oh I don’t know anyone that gets flustered around their girlfriend.” Laurel said sarcastically. She stood behind Dinah and wrapped her arms around her. “No one at all.”

“Well it takes one to know one.” Dinah responded. “I need to finish up some stuff here, but I’ll be back upstairs for dinner.” 

“Can’t wait.” 

“I know everyone has said this to you two, but I can’t believe this took you guys so long.” Conner said when he saw how Dinah watched Laurel walk away.

“Oh, this coming from the guy who worked with the girl he liked for weeks and didn’t realize she liked him too.” Dinah said back. 

“Okay fine, maybe I can’t judge, but it was way more obvious with you and Laurel.” Conner said. 

“That might be true, but you’re going to leave before I agree with you.” Dinah said laughing. 

“Yep, that’s what I’m going to do. Mostly because I fear you.” 

“You’re a smart kid, Conner.” They both got back to work until Dinah went back upstairs. She opened the door and saw Laurel laying on the ground with Lasagna laying on her chest. “How long have you been laying there?”

“About an hour. She won’t let me move.” Laurel demonstrated by trying to sit up which made the cat meow and claw her shirt. “See, I’m trapped.”

Dinah put her stuff down and laid down on the floor next to her. “How did you get here?” 

“Well, it’s a funny story. I came back up from the bar and went to pet Lasagna, and then she sat in my lap so I laid down for a second and she moved to my chest and that’s why I haven’t been productive for over an hour. I meant to unpack but I really don’t want to move her.” Laurel explained. 

“Makes sense.” They just sat there in silence until Lasagna fell asleep and they could move her. Since she was a cat that only took about ten minutes. 

“Baby.” Laurel said when she put her on the couch. “She really is like a little baby.” 

“That’s accurate. Okay, so dinner. I don’t really feel like making anything so we could always order takeout.” Dinah said. 

“Works for me. Chinese?” Laurel suggested. 

“Perfect. I’ll call it in.” About half an hour later they were eating their food on the couch and watching a movie. They both ended up dozing off on the couch so they abandoned the movie and went upstairs to bed. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days went by without anything exciting happening. That was until Dinah came bursting into their apartment one night. 

“I found another one!” Dinah exclaimed, throwing the door open. 

“You’re serious? Another one? Where do you find these kids?” Laurel asked. She was referring to all the kids that Dinah hired and practically adopted.

“Okay, so her name is Kate, and I found her painting portraits of people on the street to afford food. So I hired her and she’s going to be a part time waitress until she can afford an apartment and find a job she loves.” Dinah said. 

“That’s great! When does she start?” Laurel asked. 

“Tomorrow morning. Rose is going to train her after I show her around and stuff.” 

“You’re amazing. I love how you try and help every person you see.” Laurel stood up and put her arms around her neck. “I love you so much.” 

“Love you too.” She kissed her and then gave her a hug. “I can’t just leave them like that, whenever I see someone who needs a little extra help my instincts take over and I have to help them.” 

“So, if I were to find another kitten in the street…” Laurel trailed off.

“We are not getting another cat.” Dinah said. Laurel fake pouted. 

“Maybe.” Laurel grinned and Dinah rolled her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay, I know. It's been 16 days and I know I usually update more frequently. It's been a rough couple of days both with classes and a just some personal stuff, so I didn't have much will power to write every night and then I ran out of ideas. So if someone gets hit by a car it's not my fault. (That's directed at a friend of mine.)
> 
> Also I named the new waitress after my friend bc she wanted me to, so thats a gift for her. And then the usual let me know what you thought and all that. I welcome all feedback!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo. I wish I knew what to say here, but I'll do it at the end
> 
> The song in this chapter is Heart by Sleeping at Last

“So, you have any plans tonight?” Laurel asked. 

“Laurel, we live together. You already _know_ I don’t have plans.” 

“Yeah, this is my not subtle way of asking you to go out with me tonight.” Laurel said. “So, dinner?”

“Yes, of course.” Dinah laughed. “Pick a place, and I’ll be sure to knock you dead.”

“Yeah, you really don’t have to try for that.” Laurel said. “I think that just naturally happens to me when you walk into a room.”

“It’s a miracle we kept our feelings about each other a secret for so long. Especially considering how absolutely perfect you are.” Dinah said. 

“Yes, it’s crazy.” Laurel said. “I’ll make reservations and let you know.” Laurel kissed her and went to find them a place to eat. “How do you feel about Italian?” She called from the other room.

“It’s perfect.” Dinah shouted back. Laurel called to get them a table and told Dinah the time. The two of them got ready and as expected, the way Dinah looked made Laurel momentarily forget how to breathe. “That’s about the reaction I was hoping for.” She said. 

“Always happy to deliver.” They went downstairs but before they could leave Rose stopped them. 

“A few of the regulars are requesting a song, do you have some time?” She asked.

Dinah looked at Laurel before responding. “Is that okay?” 

“Of course, go ahead.” Laurel answered. Dinah smiled at her as she walked away. 

“This song is for Laurel Lance, who is the reason I still have the courage to be who I am. Without her, I would’ve given in to the somewhat dark thoughts I was having. She brought me back, and for that I thank her.” Dinah grinned and gave her a small wave, to which Laurel returned with a wink, but what Dinah said worried her. She ignored that for the time being to watch Dinah perform. Instead of sitting down at the piano, she picked up the guitar that was next to it and closed her eyes. “ _I am short of breath standing next to you. I’m out of my depth at this altitude. Like the world makes sense, from your window seat. You are beautiful, like I’ve never seen._ ” 

“Your love for her could not be more obvious.” Rose said. “You two are some of the best people I know, and you’re even better together. You can see it in the way you both look at each other.” 

“Thanks. She really is amazing. You know, I think it’d be fun to go on a double date with you and Conner.” Laurel suggested. 

“I think that’d be really fun. We should set that up sometime.” Rose answered.

“ _Go ahead and laugh, even if it hurts. Go ahead and pull the pin. What if we could risk everything we have, and just let our walls cave in?_ ” Dinah sang. After some time she finished the song and left the stage. “What’d you think?” Dinah asked. 

“I think you’re amazing.” Laurel answered. 

“I think you’re hitting on me.” Dinah said. 

“You aren’t wrong. Come on, let’s go eat.” Laurel led her down the street to the restaurant. 

“Everything looks so good, I can’t wait to read everything and think about what I want for fifteen minutes and then order the same thing I always do.” Dinah said once they sat down. 

“That’s extremely specific.” Laurel said. “And yet I feel like that’s a very relatable thing.” 

Dinah laughed. “It’s a universal issue.” Laurel laughed but then her face fell. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, it’s about what you said before you sang tonight. Did you really almost give into those thoughts?” Laurel asked, concerned. 

“I mean, yeah. The things my parents said really got to me, and I guess I retreated back into my mind.” Dinah explained. “You know that I’ve never really been menatlly stable, and I used to be a lot worse. I almost got bad again and if it weren’t for you I probably would have. Even though I knew it wasn’t true, I felt like everyone was about to leave me. But you kept reminding me that I still had people who loved me. You were the only thing that kept me grounded. I don’t know what I would’ve done, but right now, I’m still here and I’m happy. I owe so much of that to you. You were the one who let me know that I didn’t deserve to be treated like that and I can’t begin to thank you enough for that.” 

“Dinah… you don’t owe me anything. You’re the reason I became the Black Canary even after everything that happened in my past. I need you just as much as you need me. I love you, and I always will. And I’m glad I stopped you from going back to a dark place. The world could never lose you, you bring so much light to everyone around you.” Laurel and Dinah both had tears in their eyes. 

“I love you.” Dinah whispered.

“I love you too.” Laurel breathed. She put her hand under Dinah’s chin and kissed her. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey Kate, you ready to start?” Dinah asked the next morning. 

“Yes, I’m ready. Thank you so much for letting me work here Ms. Drake. You’ve probably changed my life.” Kate said hurriedly. 

“Call me Dinah, please. And I just hope I can help you out long enough for you to get back on your feet.” 

“Oh really, what’s that?” Kate asked sarcastically. Dinah laughed.

“Yeah, I’ve been there. You’ll make it.” Dinah assured her. “Okay, so Rose is going to train you but first I wanted to show you around. Basically it’s pretty simple, but here’s some stuff you need to know. If anyone is harassing you or anyone else, I give you full permission to kick their ass and I’ll cover you. If you need to pick up any extra shifts, let me know and I can move things around, and if you need help with anything at all, ask someone and they can hook you up.”

“Okay, thank you.” Kate and Dinah continued to talk until Rose was ready to train her. 

“Hey, I’m Rose, nice to meet you.” She said.

“I’m Kate.” Kate shook her hand and they went off. Dinah stayed at the bar until Kate finished her first shift. She waved her over to sit at the bar. 

“How was your first day?” Dinah asked, leaning forward across the bar. 

“Not bad. Almost spilled a drink on some guy but I managed to avoid that.” She smiled. 

“Yeah, that happens. You want a drink?” Dinah offered. 

“I’m nineteen.” 

Dinah laughed. “Okay, I should’ve remembered that. So what’s your story kid? What has brought you on this journey?”

“Well, I’ve been living in a semi-shitty studio apartment for about a year and a half, basically from when I graduated high school. I couldn’t find a job for awhile, so I sold paintings on the street to make a living. Then, you offered me a job and now I’m here and I have a real shot at life.” Kate said.

Dinah nodded. “I think you’ll fit in nice here. We have a weird dynamic, and everyone I’ve hired I have found in rough spots. Some of them have gone on to do pretty great things. I have faith in you too.” 

“You’re the first person in a long time to do that.” 

“There’s something in your eyes that gives it away.” Dinah observed. “Anyway, I’m going to go sing something. Have a good night, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Kate waved to her. 

“Hey, you started today, right?” Someone asked. “I’m Skylar.” 

“Kate. You work here too?” She asked. 

“Yep, been here a few months. Dinah hired me right after I ran away from home.” They said. 

“Nice. I’m in a similar situation.” She explained. 

“Oh really? You got a story?” Skylar asked. 

“Came out as Pan sophomore year of high school. They thought that wasn’t a real thing, so when I graduated I took all the money I had and caught a train that took me far away, and I landed here. What’s yours?”

“I get that. I told my family I’m non-binary. They didn’t want me to be considering we were already outcasts in our community because we were the only black family there. I dropped out of highschool junior year and came here. Dinah waited until I turned eighteen to hire me, so now I’m here.” Skylar answered. “We should hang out sometime. I feel like we’ll have a lot in common.” They slid Kate a napkin with their number and left. Kate smiled and read it. 

“Good first day?” Rose asked when she walked by. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty great.” Kate answered. 

“You’re blushing.” She pointed out.

“No, I’m not.” Kate said. “Maybe.”

“Skylar was flirting with you?” She asked.

“No. Well, I don't know.” 

“But you hope so?” 

“Okay, fine, yes. They left me their number. I’m going to text them later.” 

“See, you’re already fitting in great here. See you around.” Rose smiled at her and left.  
It was one of the best days Kate had in a long time. 

“Hey, you’re Kate, right?” Laurel asked. “I’m Dinah’s girlfriend Laurel.”

“Nice to meet you.” 

“How was your first day?” 

“Not bad. I really like it here and everyone has been so nice to me. Skylar even gave me their number.” Kate said. “So how long have you and Dinag been together?” 

“A couple weeks. We were secretly in love with each other for… several months. It was painfully obvious to everyone but us.”

“I could see that.” They talked for a little while longer and Kate told her about her first day. “I’m going to run home, but it was nice to meet you. I hope I’ll see you around sometime!” Laurel waved goodbye and she left. 

“Hey Laur, what’s up?” Dinah asked when she came offstage. 

“I met Kate. I really like her, and she already fits in with the whole dynamic of this place.” 

“Yeah, she does. I’m glad I found her.” Dinah said. 

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Rose wants us to go on a double date with her and Conner.” Laurel said. 

“That’d be really fun. It will probably be better than our last double date.” Dinah said. 

“Yeah, probably. I mean it will actually be a _double_ date this time.”

“Exactly. Although it didn’t pass double date standards, it was still one of my favorite nights with you.” Dinah said.

“Oh really? What are some of your other favorites?” Laurel asked flirtatiously. 

“Hmm, every other night.” Dinah flirted back.

“Really narrows it down.” 

“Well, there’s so many to choose from.” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

A couple days went by without any big events. Kate was getting more used to her job and had started to hang out with Skylar outside of work, although they both claimed they weren’t dating yet. 

One afternoon, Laurel and Dinah were sitting together on the couch when someone knocked on their door. Lasagna was on top of the blanket that was on top of Dinah who was laying in Laurel’s lap, so if any of them moved it would be problematic. Dinah sighed, picked up Lasagna, and got up to open the door. Conner was standing there with a box of chocolates.

“Hey Conner, what are you doing here?” She asked. 

“Hi! So Rose and I wanted to invite you and Laurel out to eat tomorrow night.” He said. “Oh, and I got these for you.” He tried to hand her the chocolates, but Dinah was holding the cat.  
“I’ll take those.” Laurel said, walking up next to her. “We would love to go.” 

“Yes, and thank you.” Dinah added. 

“Great! I’ll tell Rose. See you tomorrow.” Conner said. Lasagna meowed as if she were offended by that. “Sorry Lasagna, you can’t come. I still love you though.” He said. Laurel shut the door behind him as he left. 

“He’s really a dork. But he and Rose are perfect for each other, and they are both amazing people.” Dinah commented.

“He really is, and they most certainly are.” Laurel agreed. 

“Okay baby, I’m going to put you down now. Don’t yell at me.” Dinah said to Lasagna. She opened her arms and the cat reluctantly jumped to the floor. She walked back to the couch and stretched out on the blanket that was still there. 

“Great, she stole our spot. Evil genius.” Laurel said. Lasagna yawned and went to sleep in response. 

“It’s that cute face. She draws you in and then she attacks.” Dinah said. “Rose just texted me, we’re going to meet at the bar tomorrow at seven. That good?”

“Yeah, perfect. I can’t wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I have absolutely no idea what is going on, I went more than 2 weeks without writing anything but I wrote this chapter in three days so Idk. I'm scared to say that I'm back because as much as I want that I can't be sure. So, the next chapter could be a week away or three and maybe there's just no in between. I hope I'm back, because up until like five days ago I would look at the blank page and want to throw myself out the window, but who's to say if things have changed. But I do promise that i won't just abandon this fic if I can control it.
> 
> As always, let me know what you think! I love reading comments it makes me happy.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wish I was sorry but I'm really not

It was the night of their double date, and Rose was pacing nervously in her apartment. She had known Dinah for a little over a year, and had gotten pretty close to her and Laurel. She was scared that she would do or say something stupid. Dinah was one of Rose’s biggest role models, and she didn’t want to run the slightest risk of disappointing her. Even though she knew Dinah pretty well and knew that she wouldn’t judge her, it was still scary. In her eyes, Dinah was like this goddess who always seemed so composed, so it’s easy to be intimidated by her. 

“Hey, it’s me.” Conner shouted as he knocked at the door.

“Come in.” Rose answered. Conner opened the door and was met with a pacing Rose. 

“What’s going on? You okay?” He said. 

“It’s, well, I don’t know. Everything?” Rose laughed weakly. 

“You’re nervous about doing something stupid in front of Dinah because you look up to her and want her to be proud of you?” Conner finished for her. 

“And that’s why I love you.” Rose said, pointing at him. She then realized the weight of what she said.

“You love me?” Conner asked, startled. They stared at each other for a long time, not moving. 

“I love you.” Rose said definitively. 

“I love you too.” Conner said softly. She grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him down to kiss her. “I like this. Us.” 

“Me too.” Rose smiled. 

“As for your concerns about seeing Laurel and Dinah, I understand. I look up to them too. But I know they love us, I mean, Dinah is the reason we are together.” Conner said. “And, I’m very excited to get to know Laurel more. I like talking to her.”

“Me too. You should’ve seen them before you got there, it was so cute but so hard to watch. They clearly were in love with each other but they couldn’t tell that the other one loved them back.” Rose said.

“Dinah told me I wasn’t allowed to say anything because of how long I was secretly outlining after you.” 

“That’s honestly fair.” Rose locked her door and they left. 

Dinah and Laurel were already downstairs waiting for them when Rose and Conner got there.

“Hey guys.” Dinah said when they came closer. Laurel gave them a smile and a wave. 

“Hi.” Conner said. 

“Hello.” Rose said at the same time. 

“So, where are we going?” Laurel asked. 

“The new place down the block. I’ve heard good things about it and it’s not far so we can walk.” Rose said. 

“Perfect, let’s go. Also, don’t try to pay tonight. It’s on us.” Dinah said. 

Conner opened his mouth to protest. “No, we-”

“No. It’s on us.” Laurel said. He looked like he was going to say something else but a look from Dinah stopped him. 

When they got to the restaurant, they were seated almost immediately. “So, what was your first date like?” Dinah asked Conner and Rose while they were waiting for their food.

“Well, I may or may not have gotten lost three times on my way to pick her up from her apartment.” Conner said sheepishly. “We still made our dinner reservations though.”

“Yeah, that was pretty cute though. Your face was all red and you had a bouquet of flowers.” Rose said. 

“Anyway, we went to a fancy restaurant and then afterward we sat outside in the park and just talked for hours.” Conner said. “I checked my watch at ten-thirty and the next time I checked the time it was almost one in the morning.” 

“That’s really adorable.” Laurel said. “Some people you just get lost in.” 

“I agree. And he was a gentleman, he walked me home.” Rose finished. “Pretty good first date.”

“Clearly, you still like me.” Conner said.

“I really do.” 

“You guys are cute.” Dinah said. “I’m glad you guys started working together.”

“Well, I guess we do owe you for this.” Rose said. “You got us together.” 

“Why thank you.” Dinah said. “I could see a spark between you guys.”

“And yet you couldn’t see it between you and Laurel?” Conner asked sarcastically. 

They all laughed. “Okay, I deserved that.” 

“I mean, I constantly hinted about how I felt about you. I moved into your bed!” Laurel exclaimed.

“I would literally play with your hair and you'd be all ‘I thought it was platonic.’” Dinah fought back. They went back and forth like that for a while. Rose and Conner couldn’t keep themselves from laughing at every ridiculous thing they added. Laurel brought up the fact that she would wake up with Dinah in her arms, and Dinah talked about all the love songs she sang for her.

“You know, I think the two of you were way worse than Conner and I.” Rose commented. Laurel and Dinah looked at her and then back at each other. 

“That’s fair.” They said at the same time.

“So, tell us about your first date.” Conner said, putting his arm around Rose. 

“Well… it wasn’t exactly intentional.” Laurel started. “I had a family party to go to and I hate going to those when I’m not seeing anyone. Dinah told my sister that we were together so she pretended to be my girlfriend.” 

“It was very easy to pretend because we didn’t really have to, but it was also so easy to get lost in what was going on. It was hard to separate what was real and what wasn’t.” Dinah added.

“By the end of the night I was driving myself crazy because I wanted it to be real so badly that I ended up confessing my love for her when we were in our room that night.” 

“I obviously felt the same way and kissed her which is what led us here. Also Sara and Ava asked us the moment we knew we loved each other and it was so easy for us to answer.” Dinah finished. 

“Yeah, that wasn’t subtle.” Laurel laughed. “But we’re here now. And we are really happy.” 

Rose grinned. “You know, after hearing that I can’t picture another way for you two. It was perfect.”

“Yeah, it figures that you two would pretend to date before you even considered actually telling each other.” Conner said. Laurel playfully glared at him. They continued to talk about all of their dates until their food arrived. Even after they finished eating they continued to talk well into the night. 

“Jeez, it’s already midnight.” Rose said. “We should probably head home. Thank you so much for dinner, it was really great.”

“Of course, and we had a lot of fun tonight.” Dinah said. 

Laurel agreed. “Yeah, we really like you two.”

“We like you guys too. And not just because Dinah is my boss and I’m afraid of her.” Rose added quickly. 

“Aw, don’t worry. You know I think of you all as my children.” Dinah said. 

“Thanks again, and we’ll see you soon!” Conner said as they left. 

“They’re adorable.” Laurel said, taking a sip of her drink after they were gone. “I’m glad they had fun.”

“Me too.” Dinah said. “So, want to get out of here?” She asked.

“I’d love to.” They paid and then Laurel grabbed her hand and led her back to their apartment. They didn’t end up getting much sleep that night. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another few days passed and Dinah had a surprise for Laurel that she set up when the were both gone.

“Okay, so don’t get mad.” Dinah said before entering the apartment. 

“That’s never a good way to start a sentence.” Laurel commented. Dinah laughed nervously. “What is it?” 

“It’s easier to show you.” Dinah unlocked the door. Laurel gasped. Sitting on the floor in a little box was a tiny black and white kitten. 

“Oh my god, you are so cute!” Laurel took her out and held her. Lasagna got jealous and tried to sit on Laurel’s lap as well. “What’s her name?” 

“I was thinking Oreo if we couldn’t come up with something better.”

“I love it. And her. And you. Thank you so, so much.” Laurel said. She put down the cats and gave Dinah a kiss. 

“Of course, I knew you wanted another one and I couldn’t let Lasagna be alone when we weren't there.” Dinah said. “Also it’s important to know that I would do anything just to see you smile.” 

Laurel smiled stupidly and blushed. Lasagna mewed impatiently. 

“Oh, don’t worry Lasagna, we still love you just as much.” Dinah picked her up and Laurel picked up Oreo. 

“You want to meet your new friend?” Laurel asked. They say down and put them close to each other. Lasagna sat down and glared while Oreo sniffed her. She batted at her paws but Lasagna didn’t hiss at her. She licked the top of the smaller cat’s head and walked away. Oreo’s curiosity got the better of her so she followed. 

“I already took care of what we need and just got more of what we have for Lasagna. I think that will be okay.” Dinah said. 

“Yeah, that’ll be great. Thank you so much.” 

“I mean, I was pretty excited to get another addition to our family.” 

“We’ve made a good family.” Laurel said. Dinah nodded in agreement.

“You know what else is great?” Dinah asked. 

“You?” Laurel said.

“Damnit, that’s what I was going to say!” Dinah laughed and leaned against Laurel on the floor. They sat back and watched Oreo inspect their apartment while Lasagna followed her from a distance. 

“I’m going to go get a few things done, but I’ll be back in about an hour. I just want to go pick some stuff up.” Laurel said after both kittens were asleep. 

“Okay, I’ll be here. See you soon.” Dinah said. Laurel got up and left. 

An hour passed, and Laurel wasn’t home yet. Dinah wasn’t worried, but she started to become worried when she was gone for two hours and Dinah hadn’t heard anything from her. Dinah tried to call her, because it was dark and getting late, but she didn’t answer. She was about to go out and find her but before Dinah could leave she heard the door unlocked. 

“Oh, thank god Laurel, where have you been?” Dinah asked before the door was even opened. The door flung open and Laurel stumbled inside, clutching her side. “Laurel?” Dinah asked, her concern growing. Laurel took her hand away for a second and her hand was wet with blood.

“I fucked up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahahhahaha I know I'm terrible. But I'm a sucker for those tropes. And yes, it is very close to my last update which I am actually really proud of. I do have to warn you all though, I've been in a little bit of a not great mental state, so expect a lot of angst in the coming days or another 2 and a half week hiatus (or both). I'll try my best and for now I just hope you enjoy! Let me know what you all think, I appreciate anything you guys say.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised angst, and I hope I delivered. And I know, so much quicker than I thought, right? 
> 
> TW: Blood

Dinah rushed to pick her up and carry her to the couch. “Oh my god, oh my god,” She muttered. “Laurel, what the hell happened?” Dinah’s instincts took over but her mind was swirling. She pressed on her side to try and stop the bleeding but it was starting to get out of hand. “Damnit, Laurel, you can’t do this to me.” 

Laurel took a pained breath. “I went out. I got some stuff. On my way back-” She inhaled sharply. “-there were these eight guys beating up this poor defenseless kid. I thought they were unarmed. I distracted them long enough for him to escape but one of them had a knife and I was distracted…” Laurel trailed off. 

“Shit, Laurel. What if you got killed?” Dinah whispered so low that Laurel couldn’t hear. Frankly, she couldn’t blame her. She would've done the same thing. Yet when it’s Laurel’s life in danger? Dinah couldn’t think straight. She felt like she might black out from the fear of losing her. “Okay, I’m going to cut off your shirt to take a look.” Laurel nodded. Dinah ripped it off to get a look at it. It was a long gash on her side, and it was pretty deep. There was a lot of blood and she would definitely need stitches, and it didn’t look good. Dinah got a first aid kit and cleaned it up as best she could. After a more thorough assessment she figured Laurel would be okay after a couple weeks but only if Dinah could fix her.

“Dinah, I’m so sorry, I thought-” Laurel started.

Dinah cut her off. “I’m going to do your stitches, lay still.” She said curtly. Laurel winced not only at the pain but at her tone. She knew that she had really let Dinah down. She finished the stitches and put a bandage over it. “Lay still while I bring you a change of clothes.” Dinah brought Laurel clothes and then went to wash her hands without saying anything. Laurel tried to speak to her but couldn’t think of anything to say. Dinah went into the bathroom and shut the door. She went to the sink and for the first time looked at her hands. Obviously, they were covered in blood. That was nothing new for her, but this time it was Laurel’s blood. And yes, she should be fine, but Dinah has never loved anyone as much as she loved Laurel. Dinah washed and dried her hands several times but they still felt like her blood was on there. What if she didn’t act fast enough? What if Laure dies because Dinah did something wrong. She could easily end up being why Laurel didn’t make it and that scared her more than anything else. She ended up just sitting on the bathroom floor, putting her head in her hands. and trying not to cry. 

Laurel wanted to go to Dinah, she really did. She just knew that if she stood up now Dinah would be even more disappointed in her. Laurel knew it was stupid to take those guys on but she couldn’t just walk away. And Dinah had to save her life. She knew she messed up more than just the fighting, she forced Dinah to go back to a life the two of them both left. Laurel felt that she may have ruined everything. What if Dinah realized that this wasn’t what she wanted? What if the old Laurel came back? Her thoughts kept spiraling until Oreo jumped up on the couch. “Hey, baby.” She said weakly. She settled next to Laurel and started purring. Lasagna was sitting outside the bathroom door crying for Dinah. 

Dinah came out of the bathroom and while she didn’t look like she’d been crying, Laurel felt like she was. Lasagna pranced around her legs but Dinah barely noticed. Laurel saw her coming closer and tried to sit up, but realized that wouldn’t be a good idea. “Laurel…” Dinah began. 

“No, Dinah, I am so sorry. I had to help that kid, you know that. But I thought I could do it. I didn’t go looking for a fight, something in me couldn’t let me walk away. I never wanted you to get hurt. I shouldn’t have done that to you, it wasn’t fair. Dinah, please talk to me.” Laurel pleaded. 

“Don’t apologize for protecting someone, I would’ve done the same exact thing.” Dinah began. “And I’m not mad at you. Just seeing you hurt made me feel something I haven't felt in a long time. I’ve never felt this way about anyone but when you came in and you were bleeding and then your blood was on my hands… I couldn't even think straight. You’re my entire world and your life was in my hands.”

“So you’re not mad?” Laurel asked weakly. 

“No. You just scared me.” Dinah said. “I love you so much that if anything happened to you, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

“I love you too.” Dinah leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.

“I’m not letting you get up anymore than you have to, so you should sleep down here. Moving you isn’t a good idea.” Dinah ordered. Laurel nodded.

“Goodnight, D.” Laurel said. 

“Goodnight.” Dinah called back. She waited until she knew Laure was asleep, grabbed her helmet, and left. She got on her motorcycle and just rode around. For hours. All she wanted to do was clear her head. She had no real destination, so she just kept driving until she got tired. When she felt that her thoughts were collected, she went back home and climbed into bed. It was lonely, and without Laurel’s warmth she was cold. The sun started to rise before she even fell asleep, so she got up anyway. 

“Hey, I heard you moving around.” Laurel said groggily after Dinah was downstairs for a while. “How long have you been up?” 

“Not long.” Dinah lied. “Want some breakfast?” She offered. 

“You were up all night weren’t you? You left after I fell asleep and rode around the city.” Laurel said.

“Was it that obvious that I was going to do that?” 

“Yeah, I know you pretty well.” Laurel sat up. “Come here.” She patted the couch next to her. 

“Oh good, I should check your stitches anyway.” Dinah said once she sat down. 

“Not what I meant, but okay.” Dinah made sure they were still in and nothing got infected, and then rebandaged it. 

“All good. So what’s up?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay. Just after everything.”

“Yeah, I am. You’re going to be okay, that’s all I need. More importantly, are you okay? You’re the one who got stabbed. And I don’t just mean physically.” Dinah said. 

“Yeah, I think so. A little shaken, but that’s normal. Good thing we’re both used to stuff like this.” Laurel answered. “Well not good, but like it’s good that we know how to handle it. I mean not that it’s a good thing to-” Laurel rambled on. 

“I know what you mean.” Dinah laughed. “I’m glad you’re okay.” 

“Me too.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Dinah, please let me leave the house. I swear I’m feeling better. It’s been a week, I promise I’m fine.” Laurel begged. Dinah had been spending a lot of time at the bar since Rose and Conner were away for the week so they were understaffed. “I’ve been okay walking around, so letting me out of the house would be fine. I’ve even moved back to sleeping upstairs.” 

“Fine. I have to be back at the bar in an hour, you can come down then.” Dinah said. She knew she was being a little overbearing, but she was nervous that something would go wrong. “And yes, I do realize you have been moving around plenty in here but, you know, it’s good to be safe.” 

“Yay, thank you.” Laurel beamed at her. “I’ll be careful.” Once Dinah had to go back she and Laurel went down the stairs, which Dinah made sure she was fine. 

“Hey, Laurel, glad you’re back!” Kate said when she noticed Laurel was back. Dinah had only told them that Laurel had gotten hurt, but not the exact details. 

“Hi Kate. How are things with you and Skylar?” She asked. 

“Oh, well, it's fine.” Kate said slowly.

“They both really like each other but don’t want to ask the other one out officially because they are afraid of getting rejected even though they hang out and talk constantly.” Dinah answered for her. 

“Yup, that’s the story.” Kate said. 

Laurel laughed. “Take it from someone who spent a good portion of the last few months a lot less happy than I could’ve been. Go ask them out. You and Skylar clearly like each other, and even though it’s scary it’s worth it.” Laurel advised. 

“I know you’re probably right, I might listen to that.” Kate said. She got back to work and thought about it, and then when her shift was over she asked Skylar out. They said yes, of course, and Dinah and Laurel high fived.

“See? Everything’s fine. I’m okay, I’ll just be a little sore for awhile.” Laurel said plainly. 

“Now that you’ve said that something is going to go wrong.” Dinah said, only half kidding. 

As if the universe heard what she said, some random customer ran into a waitress and caused her to drop all the drinks on him.

“Do you see what you’ve done?” Dinah pointed. 

“How is that my fault?” 

“It just is.” Dinah winked at her and went to help clean up. Laurel shook her head and laughed. 

The mess got cleaned up and Dinah went back to where Laurel was sitting. She poured Laurel a drink and leaned on the bar. “Thanks. Laurel said.

“How do you feel being out in the world again?” Dinah asked. 

“Exactly the same as I used to, Dinah. I’m fine, there’s no need to worry.” Laurel assured her. That didn’t do anything to make Dinah less nervous about her, but that was because it wasn’t totally true. Even though she said she was fine and acted fine, she really wasn’t. That had nothing to do with her wound, it was the fact that she got hurt in the first place. Laurel thought she could take those guys and she was really wrong. And when she got hurt, Dinah was the one that had to save her. She immediately fell onto her and Laurel didn’t like that the two of them got a reminder of what their lives were like. They had both changed and moved on, but Laurel was getting scared that Dinah would think that Laurel was turning into the person she used to be. The one who would go out and get into fights just because she had nothing better to do. The one who didn’t care who got hurt while she was getting what she wanted. It wasn’t a person she wanted to be anymore, and she had changed. But she was hoping Dinah still thought that too. 

Dinah wasn’t scared that Laurel was reverting to the person she once was, that would never happen. Dinah had a lot of faith in her and knew that what happened wasn’t her fault. The thing she was afraid of was that she would turn into the vengeful person she used to be. Even though Laurel’s injury wasn’t terrible, it still made Dinah so angry that someone hurt her. She didn’t want Laurel to see her like that again. 

Later that evening, they were getting ready for bed and Laurel couldn’t stop thinking about it. She knew Dinah was disappointed in her and she really felt like Dinah was going to leave or stop loving her because of what happened. It was starting to kill her. 

“Damnit, Dinah, I’m so sorry.” She suddenly blurted out. Tears immediately started to fall. “Dinah, I know you’re mad and I know you wanted to leave that life behind. I understand if you don’t want this anymore because you think I’m going back to the person I was. I’m not going to but I would understand if you felt like you couldn’t handle it, I wouldn’t-” Laurel couldn’t stop herself. 

“Whoa, Laurel. Please, slow down.” Dinah sat down on the bed next to her and tried to keep her calm but Laurel was so on edge she didn’t even let Dinah sit too close to her. “What’s going on?”

“I know we left behind a life full of close calls and constant fighting. I know we’ve both changed from that so I understand if you’re mad that it’s happened again but I need you to know that I’m not going back to that person. I hope you know I’ve changed and you still love me but if you don’t anymore because you think I’m going back to that person. I’m so sorry that I’ve ruined this.” Laurel finished. 

Dinah couldn’t speak for a minute. She just pulled Laurel in for a hug, which Laurel allowed. She was tense at first but relaxed into her and started to cry harder. “Laurel, I don’t know what to say.” She whispered. “I love you. I know you’ve changed, I know this wasn’t you turning back into who you used to be. I’m not mad at you, and I’m not leaving you.” Dinah assured her. 

“Thank you.” She mumbled into Dinah’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” 

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m just glad you’re okay, and I know you didn’t get into this fight on purpose.” Dinah gave her a kiss on the head. Laurel was still crying but it was quieter and she was getting more and more relaxed. 

“I love you too, you know.” Laurel said after a while. 

Dinah laughed softly. “Yeah, I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I sorry for putting you all through this pain? No. It was fun. But, I do have to warn you that a lot of what you will be getting from me is angst. Sorry, but life, ya know? Anyway, I have no idea what is coming next so I don't know when you'll hear from me again. So, let me know what you think, and I hope you are all having a good day today. <3


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. Not much to say, just enjoy
> 
> The song is "Keep You Safe" by Lindsey Ray

Two days passed with not much happening. Laurel was healing, both emotionally and physically. Dinah managed to keep herself from plotting revenge for what happened, mostly because she was more focused on how Laurel was doing. Dinah also started to let her out of the house without fussing over her too much. 

Dinah was at the bar one afternoon when she saw Kate and Rose walking into the bar while having a fairly intense conversation. “Everything okay?” She asked when they got close.

“I have my first date with Skylar tonight and I have no idea what I’m doing.” Kate explained. 

“Oh, good, I never know what I’m doing.” Dinah said. 

Rose laughed. “Yeah, Dinah and I aren’t the best at admitting how we feel about people so you’re already a step ahead of us.” 

“That’s promising.” Kate said. “Worked out for you, though. You guys are good now. I wish we could just skip past the scary parts and move onto the better part when you are comfortable with each other.” 

“Well, how do you feel around them now? Before you went out?” Rose asked.

“Normal. Relaxed, but also very aware of how much I like them.” 

“Since Skylar agreed to go out with you, you already know they like you. The changes will start to feel natural after a while.” Dinah said.

“Yeah, when Conner and I first went out I was nervous the relationship we already had would change, and it did. But they were good changes and now I can’t imagine it not being like this.” Rose said. 

“I know you’re right but I’m still nervous.” Kate said. 

“That’s normal. Means you care.” Dinah said. Laurel came downstairs and joined the conversation. They continued to talk about Kate’s date until someone requested a song and Dinah had to leave. She went onstage once she thought of a song. “This song is for Laurel Lance, who I will alway protect.” She sat down and started to play. “ _If you ever lose your way, and everything is out of place, I'll be there to make it all okay. I will light the path for you. I'll do all that I can do to keep you safe._ ” Laurel almost started to cry when she realized what song Dinah was singing. It was a song that Laurel would listen to a lot back when they were in constant peril because it reminded her of what she’d do for Dinah. “ _Anywhere the river flows. Anyway the trade winds blow. You don't have to face it on your own. I will write the stars for you. I'll do all that I can do to keep you safe._ ” Dinah continued to sing while Laurel tried as hard as she could not to cry. 

“You remembered.” Laurel said softly when Dinah came offstage. 

“Of course I did.” Dinah answered. “How could I forget?” 

Laurel kissed her sweetly. “Thanks for keeping me safe.” 

“Always will.” 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night Laurel was finally able to move without the first thing on her mind being pain. Not that it was terrible, but it was noticeable. Dinah was very excited about, maybe more so than Laurel. Oreo and Lasagna were both happy that they could sit on her lap again. Every time they had tried someone would move them and they’d get upset. 

“Yes, I know, this is very exciting.” Laurel whispered to Lasagna when she sat on her lap for the first time. “You’re allowed to stay.” The cat purred and fell asleep in minutes. Dinah came to sit down next to her and Oreo nestled next to her. 

“It’s nice to do this again.” Dinah said. Laurel nodded. 

“So, Dinah, you know what’s coming up?” Laurel hinted. 

“Nope, I have no ideas. Nothing exciting is happening in the near future.” Dinah said flatly. 

“Oh, I think your birthday is very exciting.” Laurel said. “I’ve already got some things on the works.”

Dinah rolled her eyes fondly. “Why am I not surprised? Don’t go overboard, it’s not a big deal.” 

“It is, though. It’s your first birthday since we started dating! I want to make it special.” Laurel argued. 

“I’ll love whatever you end up doing.” Dinah said. Laurel smiled mischievously. “Oh you really have a plan, don’t you?” 

Laurel raised her eyebrows and laughed. “Perhaps.” Laurel really did have a whole plan. She had asked Conner to help her plan something and they were going to go all out. Laurel decided on a surprise party on Dinah’s actual birthday, which was in a week. It was going to be hard to surprise her but she had Rose and Kate in on it to distract her. Rose was going to take the day off so that Dinah had to work longer, and Kate was going to ask for dating advice. Partly for Dinah, and partly because she actually needed it. It was going to benefit both of them. Laurel was having trouble pulling it all together but she had time and would figure it out. 

The next morning, after Dinah left for the day, Laurel had Conner sneak up to their apartment. He knocked on the door and Laurel whipped it open and pulled him in. 

“Were you followed?” She urgently asked him. 

“Jeez- What? No, no one followed me.” Conner said, surprised. “Are you okay? I thought we were just planning the party for her.”

“Well, yes. Sorry, it’s complicated.” Laurel forgot that Conner didn’t know about their past and that Dinah was always looking for suspicious activity. 

“Okay, crazy.” Conner said laughing. Laurel playfully glared at him. 

“Mrow.” Lasagna demanded at Conner’s feet. He bent down to pet her.

“So, what’s the plan? What do you have so far?” He asked. 

“It’s going to be the night of her birthday, and I had Rose take that day off to help us and so that Dinah is working all day, and Kate will distract her until we are ready. Since I can’t cook I ordered food so we’re good on that front. Other than that I have no idea.” Laurel explained. “That’s what you’re here for.” 

“So far so good. As for people to invite, who do we want?” 

“Obviously the two of us, Rose, Kate, and Skylar. I think keeping it small would be the best.” 

“What about her parents? Would she want them to come?” Conner asked. 

“Oh, definitely not. They aren’t close.” 

“Okay, forget that.” Conner said. They continued to plan until Conner had to leave so that he wouldn’t be there when Dinah got home. Laurel made sure that he knew which way to go and when so Dinah wouldn’t see him. “Laurel, I think it’ll be fine.” 

“You have to plan for everything.” Laurel argued.

“Maybe you’re right. I won’t let her see me, I promise.” Conner assured her. As crazy as Laurel seemed about this, Conner understood why. It was clearly important to her, and Conner would probably act the same way if it was Rose’s birthday. He managed to sneak out without Dinah realizing, which was way easier than Laurel said it would be. 

Back at the bar, Kate was telling Dinah about her first date with Skylar. 

“Dinah it was amazing. I was nervous for no reason. Skylar was just as nervous as I was so that calmed us both down, weirdly enough. And it was just like how we were hanging out before but better. We’re going out again this weekend.”

“That’s great. I told you you would be fine.” Dinah said. “I’m happy for you. Things already seem to be picking up.” 

“They are, and I owe that to you. Speaking of which, I got an internship with an illustrator for children’s books. It’s unpaid, but it fits with my work schedule and it will give me good experience.” Kate said excitedly.

Dinah smiled. “I knew you’d get somewhere. Have you thought more about what you want to do?” 

“I don’t know yet. I think I’ll just try a bunch of things and see what I’m good at.” Kate answered. “I’m still young, I’ve got time.” Dinah nodded and then they both went back to work. 

Dinah worked the rest of the day so when she got home she was excited to just be with Laurel. Laurel was doing something on her laptop on the couch but shut it when Dinah came in. “Hey, D. Missed you today.” She said turning around. 

“Missed you too.” Dinah sat next to her. “How are you feeling?” She asked. 

“Better. I think I’ll be back to a hundred percent in a few days. Only because you were taking care of me.” Laurel said. 

“Aww, I am just that good.” Dinah gave her a kiss. She waited a little longer than usual before pulling away. “So, does it still hurt to move?” Dinah asked. 

“Nope.” 

“Can you… do stuff?” She asked. 

“I can do stuff.” Laurel answered and pulled her upstairs. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was the morning of Dinah’s birthday, and Laurel woke up with Dinah in her arms. She didn’t want to move her so they stayed there until Dinah woke up. “Happy Birthday.” She whispered when she saw Dinah’s eyes open.

“Thank you.” Dinah turned and gave her a quick kiss. “I don’t want to get up but I have to go to work.” She complained. 

“I’m sorry you have to work today.” Laurel said. She wasn’t actually sorry, this was her whole plan. 

“Yeah it’s okay though. Rose had to take a day off today but we should be fine. I’ll just be busy all day.” Dinah said. 

“We can celebrate when you get home. It’ll be perfect.” Dinah got up and got dressed. Once she left Laurel sprang into action. She decorated the whole apartment, got the food, and when Conner was done with his shift he came up to help. Rose went out to buy some stuff on her “day off” and snuck up with Conner. Kate texted about an hour before Dinah was supposed to come home to let them know that they would probably be a little later so there would be no issue with them getting things ready. Laurel was a little nervous, but after Kate texted she calmed down. 

“Okay, so, when she first gets in we should be hiding so Kate is going to sneak up here when Dinah is closing everything down so keep an eye out for her.” Laurel explained. Everyone nodded. 

“Do we have everything?” Conner asked her. 

“Yeah I think so.” 

“What kind of cake did you get?” Skylar asked.

“Shit.” Conner and Laurel said at the same time. 

“How did we forget to pick that up?” Laurel groaned. 

“I think it’ll be okay, right?” Conner said. 

“Oh, I don’t know, I mean that’s pretty important. Conner can you go pick it up?” Laurel begged. 

“Yeah, I’ll run out and be right back.” Conner responded, grabbing his keys. 

“Please hurry!” Laurel called to him. 

Rose came next to her. “Don’t worry, Laurel. Dinah’s still going to love it.”

“I know. Thank you. It’s just so important to me that this is perfect.” 

“I understand that.” At that moment Kate opened the door. 

“Alright, guys. She’s coming. I’d hide now, we don’t have much time.” Kate said, shutting the door quickly. “I kept her as long as I could without her getting suspicious.” 

They all hid behind various pieces of furniture and waited for the door to open. It felt like forever but they finally heard Dinah come near the door. She paused before opening the door, and Laurel realized that Dinah probably thought someone had broken in. She flung it open and moved to a fighting stance while everyone jumped out and yelled. 

It was a mix of “surprise” and “happy birthdays,” but it was still good. Dinah immediately relaxed when she realized no one’s life was in danger. 

“Guys, this is amazing! Thank you so much.” She smiled widely and looked around at everyone. “I had no idea.” She went around and talked to everyone and then found herself alone with Laurel. 

“So did you really have no idea?” Laurel asked. 

“I knew you were planning something, and this was a contender, but I forgot and I really thought something was wrong in here. Good thing I didn’t accidentally hit someone.” Dinah said. 

“That would’ve taken a lot of explaining. I’m glad you were surprised.” Laurel said. They went back to talking to everyone. She was talking to Rose and realized that Conner wasn’t around. She asked Rose about it.

“He was here before, but had to run out and pick up the cake. He should be back soon, it’s been a little while.” Rose answered. “He actually helped Laurel plan a lot of this.” 

“Oh, right, you were all in on it. So you didn’t actually need to take a day off?” 

“No, I didn’t. All part of Laurel’s plan.” Rose said. 

“She’s pretty good.” The night went on and Dinah seemed really happy. Rose was starting to get scared that Conner wasn’t back yet, but she tried to ignore it. 

Dinah was talking to Skylar and Kate when Rose started to get pretty freaked out with the phone call she just got. 

“What? Oh my god, oh my god. Is he okay? What-” Rose said. Everyone got really quiet. “I’ll be right there.” She hung up and there were tears in her eyes. Everyone was staring at her and starting to get concerned. “Conner was just in a car accident.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. This is the one thing my friend didn't want me to do but I had to. For one, the only thing I can write rn is angst because reasons, and secondly, I'm pretty excited to see her reaction. Love you guys, please tell me what you think. Also, I'm kinda sorry
> 
> I hope you are all having a good day <3


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this chapter is Head Above Water by Olive James, and it's literally one of my favorites. I highly recommend listening to it when it comes up it's so good and perfect for this chapter.

“Rose, wait a second. You are in no condition to drive.” Dinah said when everyone was frantically running around. “I’ll drive you. Laurel, let’s go.” Rose nodded and Dinah led her to the car. Laurel’s mind was spinning. This was her fault. That’s all she could think. It was her fault, she did this. Conner could die because of her. 

Dinah was terrified, of course, but she kept her cool for Rose’s sake. Her mind occasionally drifted to the fact that Laurel was killing herself over this, but that had to wait. Rose was sitting in the back crying softly, and Dinah was gripping the wheel so tightly her knuckles were white. The car ride was extremely tense and felt like it went on forever. 

“Which one of you is Rose?” A nurse asked when they got to the hospital. Rose raised her hand. “You’re his emergency contact, right?”

“Yes. Will he be okay? What happened? What’s going on?” Rose asked urgently. 

“We aren’t sure about what exactly happened, but there was a drunk driver that ran a red light. His injuries are pretty severe, but he’ll be awake soon and you can see him.” The nurse said kindly. “We’ll call you in when he wakes up.”

Rose nodded and sat down in a chair. Dinah and Laurel sat down on either side of her. Dinah put her arm around her. “Thank you.” She said softly. She started to cry again.

“Hey, come here.” Dinah pulled her in for a hug. “He will probably be fine. You guys will be okay, okay?” Rose sat up and nodded. “The nurse said he will wake up soon. He’s going to be so happy you’re here.” They all sat unmoving until the nurse came back and waved Rose in. 

“Tell him we say hi.” Dinah said. Rose smiled weakly and rushed in. “Laurel, come take a walk with me.” Laurel gave her a confused look but followed anyway. They went outside to a courtyard and they sat down on a bench. “Laurel. What’s going on?” 

“It’s my fault D. All of it.” She forced out. “I’m the one who made Conner go out. I made him hurry to get your cake and now, he’s really hurt and it’s my fault. I could’ve killed him!” Laurel stood up. “And you know what? It’s the second time it’s happened. This is exactly how I killed my own father. After everything I did to try and fix that, I did it again. I keep putting the people I love in danger. Something bad happens to everyone who gets too close to me!” She shouted.

Dinah stood up so they were face to face. “This is not your fault. Yes, Conner went out to get something for you. That doesn’t mean you forced the other guy to drive while drunk. You didn’t do this.” She grabbed Laurel’s shoulders. “This isn’t your fault. Shit like this happens, but you can’t blame yourself.” 

“It’s way too similar to what happened to my dad for it to not be my fault. I can’t keep hurting people like this. What if you’re next?” Laurel asked. “I’m sorry Dinah, this is my doing.” Dinah was at a loss for words. She didn’t know how to make Laurel understand that she wasn’t responsible for this. 

“Laurel, please. Think about this. All you did was send him on an errand. He went voluntarily. Conner won’t blame you.” 

“He should. You should. Rose should want to kill me right now.” Laurel said defensively. Dinah opened her mouth to speak but closed it when she saw Laurel’s face. She needed time. “I’m going to take a cab. Conner’s not going to want to see me.” Laurel said flatly.

“Laurel…” Dinah started, but trailed off when she just left. Dinah sat back down and stared into space until Rose came to find her. 

“Dinah, Conner wants to see you and… Where’d Laurel go?” She said. 

“I don’t know, Rose. She just left. She blames herself and I couldn’t stop her.” Dinah said, almost in tears. “Sorry, Conner wants to see me? How is he?”

Rose nodded. “Yeah, come on. He’s actually pretty good. In some pain, of course, but he’s still him. They said he will only need to stay in there for a couple more days.” Rose said hopefully. 

“That’s nice to hear.” Dinah followed her into his room. 

“Hey Dinah.” Conner said weakly. 

“Hi Conner. How do you feel?” Dinah asked.

“Like I could lift a car. Not the one that hit me, though.” Conner laughed and then winced. “Oh, by the way, I am going to need to take a few days off of work.” 

“Nice to see it didn’t change you.” Dinah responded. 

Rose smiled. “Yeah, I think I’ll need a few days too.” 

Dinah rolled her eyes fondly. “Of course, I don’t think I’d let you work if you came in.” 

“You really are the best.” Rose said. Dinah smiled at her.

“Thanks for coming to see me. Sorry I ruined your party.” Conner said from his bed. 

“Conner, what matters is that you’re okay. Don’t worry about it.” A nurse came in after a few minutes and kicked her and Rose out. “How are you doing?” She asked Rose.

“Not great, but a lot better than before. Seeing him smile helped. We’re going to be fine. I’m still scared but I know he’ll be okay.” Rose answered. “Thanks for staying with me.”

“Of course. I’m glad you’re doing better. Do you want me to stay with you all night? I’d be happy to.” Dinah asked, kind of hoping she’d say yes. 

“No, no. Go home. Find Laurel, and talk to her. I’ll get a cab or something in the morning. She needs you now.” Rose said. Dinah gave her a long hug before leaving. 

Dinah got into the car and just waited in the parking lot for about half an hour. She knew Laurel was probably at home, but Dinah didn’t know what to do. She knew the longer Laurel was alone the more she would beat herself up, but Dinah also felt like her being there would just make things worse. It was starting to get late so Dinah drove home. She got there and went to the bar before she climbed up the stairs. Without much thought, she wandered over to the piano and pushed down a key. It echoed through the empty place as she sat down and started to play the first song that came into her mind.

“ _This is what you wanted, right? At least that's what I thought. And now I'm running in circles, trying. Nothing's ever enough. And everything is happening now, but I'm still having the hardest time, hardest time._ ” Tears slowly started to stream down Dinah’s face. “ _When all you see is the tide going in and out. I've been between, the push and pull holding you down, you’re feeling tired, oh. It's getting harder and harder, keeping my head above water. Don't get me wrong, I'm strong enough to hold my own, hold my own yeah. And everything's happening so fast but I'm still having the hardest time, hardest time. When all you see is the tide, going in and out. I've been between the push and pull holding you down. You’re feeling tired, oh. It's getting harder and harder keeping my head above water._ ” Dinah finished the song and turned to look at the empty bar. There was something keeping Dinah from going upstairs where she knew Laurel would be. She decided to just suck it up and go find her, although she knew convincing Laurel it wasn’t her fault would be near impossible. 

“Laurel? You here?” Dinah called out once she opened the door. “Laurel?” She called again when she got no response. She turned on the lights and started to look around. She found her sitting on their bed curled up into a ball and staring into space. “Laurel, I’ve been calling you.” 

Dinah sat down next to her and Laurel didn’t respond. Dinah decided to keep talking. “I saw Conner. He’s doing fine, he’s himself.” Dinah looked over to her and she still wasn’t moving. “Neither Rose or Conner blame you for what happened. I don’t blame you. It’s just something that happened. It’s no one’s fault.” Dinah continued. 

Laurel finally looked at her. There was so much pain in her eyes and it was something Dinah hadn’t seen in her in a long time. “Dinah, I almost ruined so many lives today. Again. When I said that I wasn’t turning back into the old me, maybe I was wrong. Maybe she’s back and that's why I keep hurting the people close to me.” Laurel said in a bitter tone. 

“No. You’re wrong. The old you isn't back, Laurel. If she was you wouldn’t feel bad about what happened. You are stronger now, and you are so much happier. We have a good thing going right now, you can’t give up on that.” Dinah reached out and grabbed her hand. “Don’t we?” 

“Dinah, we _had_ a good thing going.” Laurel pulled her hand away. “You should get yourself as far away from me as possible. Otherwise, maybe you’ll be next.” Laurel stood up to leave. 

Dinah stood up and grabbed her wrist. “You’re not leaving! Laurel, this isn’t you. You know that we are perfect for each other, you know we are doing well. Things have gotten better for the both of us and I know it’s hard right now but Laurel, you have to come back to me.” Laurel stopped trying to leave and turned back to look at Dinah. “You are still the same Laurel Lance I fell in love with. What happened was not your fault. Not with Conner or your dad. You were not responsible. I know it will take you a long time to accept that but I know it’s true.”

“Dinah-” Laurel started but she kept talking. 

“Don’t leave, don’t just push down the pain and take it out on other people. Don’t just give up on the life the two of us have created for ourselves. You can’t just leave this behind. Not this time. You can’t leave me behind.” Dinah stopped suppressing her tears. “Come back to me.” 

Laure really looked at Dinah for the first time since the accident. She was a mess. She looked so exhausted and so in pain and seemed to just barely be holding on. Laurel forgot how much Dinah cared about her wait staff. They were like her children and Conner getting in the accident must have really hurt her as well. Laurel’s state probably wasn’t helping. 

“Don’t you see what I’m doing to you? I’m making it so much harder for you-” Laurel said.

“You’re why I'm here. You’re my entire life, Laurel. You aren’t making it worse.” Dinah replied.

“Dinah.” Laurel breathed. “I- I don’t know what’s happening to me.” Laurel started sobbing. Dinah just grabbed her and wrapped her in her arms. “I’m not okay.” She forced out.

“I know.” Dinah said. They sat back down on the bed. Laurel must have cried for hours, because by the time Dinah dozed off the sun was rising. Laurel woke up in her embrace and sat up, waking Dinah up. 

“I’m sorry Dinah.” Was all Laurel could think to say. 

“Me too.” 

“It’s way too similar to what happened to my father, and I guess I never really dealt with that either. Everything came rushing back. I do hurt everyone around me. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that you choose to be with me so the whole thing just-” Laurel paused. “It just scared me. And when I get scared and push people away and go back to the person that didn’t let anyone in.” She sighed. “Don’t give up on me.”

“I would never give up on you.” Dinah promised. “We can work through this together.” Dinah gave Laurel a kiss on the forehead. “I’m going to get some sleep, and I think you should too.” Laurel nodded in agreement and they both climbed into bed. Laurel promised she would stay and try to work through it. Their problems were far from solved, but this was a start. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinah reached out her arms when she woke up again, but there was no one there. She didn’t get too worried, maybe Laurel had already woken up. Dinah got up and went downstairs, praying that Laurel was on the couch. When she didn’t see her, Dinah started to panic again. 

“Laurel?” She called out. “Are you here?” There was no response. Laurel was gone and Dinah had no idea where she went or if she’d come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. But I have a very important question for all of you that I actually need answers for because there are a lot of directions I could go right now so any input would be great. How would you guys feel if Dinah and Laurel broke up for juusssstttt a little while? Like of course, this will have a happy ending, but the angst I could create is perfect. Honestly my friend might kill me but I need to know what you guys want to see so I don't disappoint you guys.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad for the beginning of this chapter so I gave you guys a fun surprise. And my friend did want to kill me so this is my peace offering to her (pls forgive me I promise things will be okay)

Dinah tried everything. She sent dozens of texts, called her at least forty times, and asked everyone if they had seen Laurel leave. Dinah spent hours biking around the city searching for her. 

Two days. This went on for two days before Dinah even got a lead on where she was. Dinah was so lost without Laurel that it felt like the world was ending. Everything reminded Dinah of her, especially the cats. They would act confused every time one of them sat on Dinah’s lap and the other one had nowhere to go. But, after days of no sleep Dinah heard of someone in a leather suit with a mask, fighting with a bo staff. Dinah knew it must be Laurel, so at least Dinah knew she was alive. And, she hadn’t become black siren again. 

While Dinah’s main concern was if Laurel was alive and safe, she was also scared of what it would mean for their relationship. Since days passed without her coming home, Dinah assumed it meant that she didn’t want to. But she couldn’t accept that. She started to plan a way to see her again. Once the sun set, she went out as the Black Canary for the first time in so long. She patrolled the streets until she saw people starting to get into a fight. Dinah waited until another figure came to help one of them. Assuming that was Laurel, Dinah leaped in and helped her. Once they were both gone, Dinah turned to Laurel. 

“Where have you been? It’s been days and you haven’t come home. Are you coming back?” Dinah asked, trying not to sound desperate but ultimately failing. 

“It’s like I said before, D. You should get yourself as far away from me as possible.” Laurel said flatly. “It’s for your own good.”

“No, Laurel. I need you with me. You need someone to be there for you and I can be that person.” Dinah told her. “Come home. Please. I promise you I can show you how much good you have done.” Dinah pleaded.

Laurel sighed. It killed her to be doing this but she was convinced that if she spent a second more with Dinah that she would hurt her. “I can’t Dinah. I can’t be with you knowing that it will probably end in disaster because of me.”

“You couldn’t be more wrong. You’re the best thing in my life.” Dinah tried to convince her, but Laurel had already disappeared into the shadows. Dinah rode home back to an empty bed, and laid down in it for the first time since Laurel left. It took her hours to fall asleep, and she couldn’t remember if she fell asleep crying or was too numb to feel anything. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About a week passed. No word from Laurel. Dinah immersed herself with the bar, saying that since Rose and Conner weren’t there that she had to work more. She said she was fine, and that everything was normal. No one believed her, especially Rose. She made that very clear when Dinah went to see Conner again. He had been staying with Rose since he got out of the hospital. 

“Where’s Laurel?” Rose asked. “I thought she was going to come by.”

“Laurel’s gone.” Dinah said quickly. “It’s just me now.” 

“She’s gone? Like you two broke up, gone?” Rose asked, surprised.

“Apparently so. I tried to help her when we got back after taking you to the hospital, but I guess I wasn’t good enough. We went to bed and I thought things were getting better but when I woke up, she was gone. Took me days to track her down, and when I did she said it was over.” Rose was shocked. Dinah was clearly in so much pain, she was practically a different person. 

“Please tell me you aren’t just going to let this happen. You two are perfect for each other, you can’t-” Rose started.

“I have no other choice.” Dinah cut her off. 

“You can’t be serious.” Rose wanted to get back into it but Dinah quickly changed the subject. 

“How’s Conner doing?” She asked, clearly not going to say anything else about Laurel. Rose stared at her for a long time before answering. 

“He’s fine.” She answered, still looking at her strangely. “Much better since getting home.”

“Home?” Dinah asked. 

Rose smiled, forgetting what was happening with Dinah for a moment. “Yeah. Home. We decided to move in together. We know it’s a little fast, but it’s perfect.” 

“I’m glad.” Dinah responded. “Where is he?” 

“He’s just laying down. I’ll go get him, he’s been starting to get up more.” Rose said. The main reason she wanted to go get Conner was because she had to warn him not to mention Laurel. 

“Wow, I thought they were forever. This can’t be permanent, right?” Conner asked while standing up. Rose just shrugged. 

“Hey, Conner. How are you feeling?” Dinah asked once he walked in. 

“Not too bad. Getting better. Being here helps, and I think I’ll be able to get back to work in a couple weeks.” Conner answered. 

“Don’t even worry about it. Take as much time as you need. You too, Rose, I’ll cover for both of you.” Dinah said. Conner and Rose shared a not so subtle concerned look. 

“So… how are things with you?” Conner asked. 

Dinah gave him a strange look. “Rose told you about me and Laurel, didn’t she?” 

Conner nodded. Rose spoke up when no one said anything. “Look, Dinah, we’re just worried. You don’t seem like yourself and it’s not just because you two broke up. I mean, Laurel was the light of your life-”

“Exactly. _Was_ the light of my life. Apparently, that’s over. She’s gone.” Dinah said bitterly. She wasn’t mad at Laurel, it wasn’t her fault. She was mad at herself for letting her go and not being enough for her. Conner and Rose didn’t know what to say. “Okay, I think I’m going to head home. I’m glad you’re doing better Conner, I’ll see you guys soon.” They waved to Dinah as she grabbed her helmet and left.

Dinah pretty much rode home as fast as she could. She parked outside the bar and just stared at it for a long time until she decided to just ride around the city. It took a lot of strength to go home everyday, and sometimes she didn’t have it. She’s stopped sleeping in their, her, bed, because she felt too lonely. The couch wasn’t bad, but the cats didn’t like her being in their spot. 

So, Dinah rode around the city. She didn’t have a destination, because it didn’t matter where she was. The emptiness felt the same. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laurel had been holed up in some abandoned building for days. She had barely gotten any sleep, and every night when she went out looking for people to save she started to hope that maybe Dinah would be there too. She knew that was crazy, Laurel had basically told her to stay out of her life. It was something she had regretted every second since then, but it was keeping Dinah safe. In the long run it would be better for everyone, since Laurel was clearly so destructive. 

Every day that passed Laurel wanted to go back to Dinah a little bit more. She would’ve done it by now, if not for the way Dinah looked at her the last time they saw each other. She had looked so hurt and broken and Laurel just wanted her to heal, and if she went back to her that couldn’t happen. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, when Dinah decided to return to her apartment, she got changed into her Black Canary suit and went out. She kept telling herself that she wasn’t looking for Laurel, and that this was just an outlet for her pain. There was nothing going on. It was such a quiet night that Dinah got bored going through the city. A small part of her was hoping to see Laurel, but another part didn’t want to revisit that pain of seeing her again. Dinah just waited until it was almost sunrise, and went back home to spend the remainder of the night on the couch until she had to go to work. 

Down at the bar, the staff kept giving her strange looks. They all knew her pretty well and without Laurel she was totally different. Skylar came over to talk to her when she looked especially sad. 

“Hey Dinah, you doing okay?” They asked her. “I mean I know you’re not okay, but you seem… I don’t know.” 

“I’m fine.” She managed a semi-convincing smile. “You know, things are different, but I’ll be fine.” 

“Whatever you say.” Skylar responded, not at all convinced. “By the way, some of the regulars are requesting a song. You going to sing anything?” Skylar mentioned. 

“I don’t think so, I’m not feeling it today.” Dinah answered.

“You haven’t given us a song in over a week, are you sure you’re okay?” Kate asked, coming over next to Skylar. 

“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern, but don’t worry about me.” Dinah lied. If she was being honest, the reason she hadn’t been able to sing anything since Laurel left was because she didn’t feel the music the same way. Whenever she would go up to sing she would be fueled by her love for Laurel, and even though it was still there it was just too painful. Most things were these days. 

“Whatever you say.” Kate responded. She and Skylar shared a look when Dinah walked away. They needed to fix this. 

So, later that night, they came up with a plan. They invited Rose and Conner to Skylar’s apartment.

“Okay, the reason we wanted you guys to come over is because of Dinah.” Skylar said to all of them. “She has done so much for all of us when we needed her, and now she needs us. We have to help her, and I don’t know how.”

“Yeah, she’s the reason I’m not on the streets right now. She doesn’t deserve to feel like this, so we need to at least do something.” Kate said.

Conner rested his chin in his hands. “Someone anonymously paid my hospital bill the other day. I know that had to be her, no one else would’ve done that.”

Rose nodded. “Dinah is one of the best people in the world. Since Laurel left she hasn’t been the same.” 

“Speaking of Laurel, does anyone know what happened?” Kate asked. “I realize that I never actually heard what happened.” 

Rose looked at Conner and spoke up. “Here’s what I know: Laurel felt responsible for Conner getting into the accident.”

“Which was not at all her fault.” Conner interrupted.

“Dinah and Laurel drove me to the hospital, and while I was with Conner something happened between them.” Rose continued. “Laurel went back to the apartment, and Dinah said she thought things were getting better but when Dinah woke up the next morning Laurel was gone. She said she finally tracked her down and Laurel said it was over, but other than that I don’t know.” 

Everyone was really quiet for a while. “I don’t think it was just about Conner, there has to be something else.” Skylar spoke up. Kate nodded. 

“I don't know what we should do.” Conner said, saying what everyone was thinking. They discussed ideas on how to make Dinah feel better, but nothing useful came out of that.

“I think we should track down Laurel.” Kate spoke up during a lull in the conversation. “I know we couldn’t get them back together, but we need to make sure Laurel is okay too.” 

Everyone nodded. “How are we supposed to do that though? It took Dinah days and she definitely has some weird tracking skills. That woman probably has one hell of a story. We’ve all seen examples of that.” Skylar said. 

“Oh, definitely. Dinah is a badass.” Rose said. “But I agree with Kate, we should try and find her. Maybe that will help. We should have Conner talk to her, they were pretty close.” 

“Yeah, that’d be smart.” Conner agreed. “She could also see that I’m okay, and maybe she would forgive herself. Maybe once Laurel does that things could get better.” 

Kate looked around and nodded. “Let’s find Laurel then.” 

It took them a while to find her. They had no real resources, so most things they tried were dead ends. None of them really had any idea what they were doing. It might’ve been easier for them to just check every building in the entire city. They were looking for whatever clues they could online until they heard a knock on the door and they all jumped. 

Skylar got up to open it and there was a woman with blonde hair standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. “Can I help you?” Skylar asked, confused.

“No, I’m going to help you.” She walked in and ran her eyes over what they were all doing before anyone could say anything. “Laurel. She’s here.” She said, pointing to a building on the map. 

“Okay?” Conner responded. 

“Yeah, hi, who the hell are you?” Skylar spoke up. 

“Sara. Laurel is my… sister.” Sara responded. “I figured you guys needed some help finding her, she’s pretty good.”

“How did you know we were looking?” Kate asked. 

“I know stuff.” She gave them a sly smile before she walked out and practically disappeared down the hall. 

“That was… odd.” Conner said after a while. 

“Yeah…” Rose added. “Well, we don’t have time to unpack all that. You got the building?” 

“I got it.” Kate said. “It says that it's been abandoned for at least a couple of years.” She mentioned. 

“That’s concerning. It’s been over a week since she left, how has she been there for so long?” Skylar asked. “And how did that woman know so much? What was that?” Everyone looked at each other and shrugged.

“Anyway, Conner, are you ready to go?” Rose asked. 

He nodded. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't like this chapter until I reread it, and I think it's actually pretty good. So, let me know what you all think, I love hearing from all of you
> 
> Also I have no idea when the next chapter will be here, I no longer have any concept of time


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know. It's been a minute since I've posted. There's been a lot going on and it took me awhile to write, but I think I worked something out so that I don't leave you guys hanging for too long
> 
> Slight TW for blood, but nothing graphic

“Hey, Laurel? Are you in here?” Conner called out once he was inside the building. “It’s Conner.” Laurel dropped down from a ledge and landed in a crouch. She stood up fully when she realized Conner was alone.

“Conner? What are you doing here?” Laurel asked. “You shouldn’t be here.” 

“What am I doing here? What the hell are you doing here?” Conner responded. “Why aren’t you in a place that, I don’t know, isn’t abandoned?” 

“How did you even find me?” 

“We didn’t. We started to look for you and then some blonde woman came out of nowhere and told us where you were and I guess it checks out.” 

Laurel cursed under her breath. “Sara.” 

“So, you didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?” Conner asked again. 

“I’m here so I don’t hurt anyone else. I’m the reason you got into that car accident, you should be furious with me.” 

Conner took a step back. “First of all, that was not at all your fault. I got into the car accident because there was a drunk driver. Not because you sent me out to get something. Second of all, you being here is doing more harm than good.” 

“You’re wrong, Conner.” Laurel asked defensively. “And for the record, if you didn’t do what I asked you too you would’ve been fine.”

“You know what, yeah. I would’ve been. But it’s not like you were the one who also put that driver on the road. You weren’t the one who didn’t move out of the way in time. That’s on them. Not you.” Conner replied. 

Laurel crossed her arms. “Okay, maybe. But I still caused people pain. Especially Dinah, she’s probably doing so much better since I left.” 

“That’s where you’re the most wrong.” Conner told her. Laurel raised her eyebrows. “Dinah hasn’t been the same since you left. It’s like she’s a different person. You were the best part of her life. Laurel, she’s even stopped singing.” 

When Conner added that last part Laurel felt a pang in her chest. She’s never known Dinah to go more than two days without singing something at the bar. “She should’ve realized that in the end I wouldn’t be good enough.” Laurel said. 

“You do remember the two of you together, right? When you guys got together, you both got so much happier and just spread that to everyone around you. The reason I’m with Rose and we are so happy is because of the two of you.” 

“Look, I know it seems like that and yes, we did do some good, but Conner, there’s so much more. Maybe this is really for the best.” Laurel said. 

“Just talk to her. I know it’s not my place but you can’t just ignore her. Figure this out.” Conner said. 

“I’m sorry, Conner.” Was all Laurel said. 

“Talk to her.” Conner left at that. Laurel thought about what he said for the next few hours. It was dark out, and she was planning on going out and patrolling the streets, but a small part of her was back. Something Conner said had shown her that maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t her fault. She missed that hopeful part of her. 

“How’d it go?” Rose asked when Conner got back in the car. 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s clearly in as much pain as Dinah, but seems to think she’s doing this for everyone else’s benefit. But, I think I got her to believe that the accident wasn’t her fault.”

“Progress.” Rose said as she drove back to Skylar’s apartment. 

Conner nodded. “I also told her that she should at least talk to Dinah, and she didn’t say that she wouldn’t do it. Hopefully she’ll at least consider it.” They made their way back to Skylar’s apartment, and when they arrived Conner told them all about what had happened and how Laurel seemed.

“You think they’ll get back together?” Kate asked them all quietly. 

“Honestly Kate, I really don’t know.” Conner answered. Skylar put their arm around Kate and Kate relaxed into them. 

She sighed. “I feel like this can’t be permanent. I haven’t even been a part of this weird family for that long but I’m terrified to lose it.” Kate said. 

“I understand that.” Rose agreed. “The two of them did some really good things. I’d hate for that to be over.” 

Everyone murmured in agreement. They talked for a considerable amount of time, but as the night got later they all got quieter. None of them really knew what else to do. After a while Conner and Rose went home, and Kate fell asleep on Skylar’s lap. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple days passed. Dinah didn’t know how many. She pretty much stopped counting. There was no reason to look forward in the future and looking back just caused her pain. Some nights she stayed at the bar and worked late until she practically passed out, and others she went out as the Black Canary. 

This was one of the Black Canary nights. Dinah needed the fresh air to clear her head. There wasn’t much going one, but she did see a gang of about six people in an alley. She decided to keep an eye on them, just in case. Dinah noticed another figure in the shadows doing the same thing as her. She tried to suppress the part of her that hoped it was Laurel, but was ultimately unsuccessful. Giving up on that, she just observed the group of people. They began to get agitated, and a fight started breaking out between them and a few other people. She saw the other figure jump down, and it was Laurel. Dinah just watched her fight them off, and she had a good handle on them. 

Most of them were taken care of, so Dinah jumped down to see Laurel, but still didn’t know what to say. They stood looking at each other, each opening their mouth and closing it before one could say something. 

“I’m sorry.” They both ended up saying at the same time. Behind Laurel, someone started to stand up holding something sharp. They lunged at her while Laurel was looking at Dinah.

“Laurel!” Dinah yelled, unable to do anything in time. Laurel whirled around, dropped the guy to the floor, and turned back to Dinah. Laurel had a cut on chest starting from the top of her shoulder and went to a little below her jacket collar. The blood was already staining it. “Damnit, Laurel, not again.” Dinah said. She practically dragged Laurel to a public bathroom near them. Laurel sat down on top of the sink and Dinah stood between her legs trying to clean the scratch with what she had on her. 

“Dinah, it’s not that deep I’ll be fine.” Laurel complained as Dinah was cleaning it. It wasn’t as deep as the last injury Dinah took care of, but there was a significant amount of blood and Dinah’s hands were shaking a little.

Dinah shook her head. “You know better than most people that it could get infected and we both know that’s not good.” Dinah looked up at her and their faces were inches apart. They stared at each other until Dinah awkwardly looked away. “I wish you would take more care of yourself. People need you.” 

“Yeah. Maybe.” Laurel said softly. She was very aware of the fact that if she moved forward slightly she could easily kiss Dinah. 

“This can’t keep happening, one day you’ll push yourself too far.” She went on. 

Laurel didn’t respond, but she wanted to. She just couldn’t get the words out. 

“Why didn’t you call?” Dinah almost whispered after a few moments of silence. Laurel looked down and Dinah refused to make eye contact. “If I didn’t find you, would you have just left without saying anything?”

Laurel shut her eyes tightly. “I… I don’t know. I wanted to. Everyday I would want to go back to you.” Laurel said. “I still do.” Dinah finally looked up at her. “I was just scared. I feel, or felt, I’m not really sure, like everything I did put everyone around me in danger. I couldn’t let that happen to anyone else. Especially you.” 

“This hurts worse than anything you could’ve caused.” Dinah responded. They didn’t say anything after that for awhile. Neither of them spoke until Dinah finished taking care of Laurel. 

“Thanks.” She said shortly. “I owe you one.” Laurel should’ve gotten up and left at that moment, but she stayed where she was. 

Dinah didn’t move either. “I hope I’ll see you at the-” 

“Dinah, I still love you.” Laurel interrupted. 

There was a pause. “I still love you too.” Dinah answered. Relief flooded through Laurel, but that feeling went away when Dinah spoke again. “But Laurel, you just left. And you didn’t come back. I wanted to be there for you and help you but I clearly wasn’t enough.” Dinah took a step back. 

“It’s exactly the opposite. If I stayed and let you help me maybe I still wouldn’t feel like this.” Laurel pushed herself off the sink and walked closer to Dinah. “I wanted to come back, but I thought you were healing without me being there and you were happier. I didn’t realize that you need me too.” 

“I do need you. And I agree, if you stayed, we would be fine now.” Dinah said. “Maybe we can still be fine.” She added quickly. 

“You think so?” Laurel asked softly. 

“Just…” Dinah pulled her in and kissed her. Laurel leaned into her but eventually had to pull away. 

“You make a compelling argument.” Laurel laughed nervously and Dinah smiled. “Can we make it?” 

Dinah nodded. “I know we have some stuff to work on, but please, just come home?”

“Home?” Laurel said eagerly. 

“Yeah. Home.” Dinah held out her hand and they went to the apartment. 

When they got there, both of the cats immediately ran over to Laurel. She sat on the floor and started whispering to them. Dinah smiled. 

“They missed you.” Dinah said as she picked up the pillow she used on the couch.

“I missed them too.” Laurel looked up and saw Dinah moving stuff on the couch. “Do you want me to sleep on the couch?” She asked, hoping she would say no. 

“Actually, this is where I’ve been sleeping. I couldn’t stand to be alone in our bed.” She answered quietly. “You can sleep wherever you want.” 

Laurel sighed in relief. “I could barely sleep without you either.” 

“We should figure everything out tomorrow morning. We’re both exhausted. Let’s just go to sleep.” Dinah said. “You’ll be here?” 

“Yeah. I’m not going to leave you again.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Dinah woke up, Laurel was still asleep next to her. She decided not to wake her since she didn’t know the last time Laurel slept through the night. Dinah went downstairs to make breakfast, trying to make things seem normal before they had to talk about everything that had happened. 

“Hey, Dinah.” Laurel said once she got downstairs. “How did you sleep?” She asked unsteadily. 

“This is weird, right?” Dinah said, forcing out a laugh. 

“Let’s just talk. Skip the awkwardness of everything else.” Laurel said. 

Dinah nodded. “Yeah, sit down. We have a lot to go over.” Laurel sat down across from her. “Where do we start?” 

“You know why I left, but I need to tell you why I let you take care of me.” Laurel responded. “Conner came to talk to me.”

“He did? How did he even find you?” Dinah asked. 

“Sara.” 

“Sara, dammit. I should’ve gone to her.” Dinah said. 

“Yeah. That was a surprise. Anyway, he came to see me and tell me that he was fine and that he didn’t blame me for what happened.” Laurel continued. “He also told me to talk to you, and at first I wasn’t going to listen to him but then I saw you last night and I just couldn’t push you away again.”

“I’m glad he found you. He probably made you understand better than I could.” Dinah said. “I think you needed to see him in perfect condition with your own eyes to believe it.” 

“I agree. I guess I thought that I made the rest of his life worse but he’s fine. He’s actually okay and that made me see that maybe I will be too.” Laurel said with a soft smile. 

“You will be okay.” Dinah said back. She took a deep breath. “I have to ask even though I’m afraid to hear the answer. If I didn’t keep trying to find you, would you still have come back?” Dinah asked tearfully. 

“Yes, I would’ve broken down eventually. The fact that you kept looking for me made me realize that you still cared about me. If you hadn’t, I still would’ve come back it might’ve just taken longer.”

Dinah nodded. “Okay.”

“Hey, I need you. I couldn’t have gone on without you but I didn’t realize that at first.” Laurel told her. 

“Laurel, I needed you too. This kid that I have been looking out for gets hurt and then the literal love of my life thinks it’s her fault.” Dinah burst out. “I know you were hurting, and I tried to help you and I really thought that you were getting better but then you were just gone. I thought that maybe you could’ve been there for me like I tried to be there for you. Maybe that’s selfish of me to say because you were in so much pain, but Laurel, so was I.” 

“I thought that the way I was just made things so much harder-” Laurel began. 

“No, just the fact that you were there made things easier. Dammit Laurel, when you left that’s when I started to get worse. It wasn’t just because I was worried about you, it’s because I had no one to help me through it. You know how protective I am over Conner, why did you think I’d be okay without you too?” 

Laurel was speechless. “Dinah… I had no idea. I really thought that without me you were getting better and it wasn’t until Conner found me that I realized how wrong I was. I can’t even begin to express how sorry I am, but I’m here now. I know it’s late but I want to be there for you.”

“I want to be there for you too. I think we can be. I think we can get us back.” Dinah said. “And I’m sorry too. A lot has happened between us since we first met, and if we moved on from that we can get past this.” Laurel nodded in agreement. They spent the rest of the day talking and going over everything that happened. By the end of the day a lot had been said and they understood more of how each other felt. Things seemed to be looking up for the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone else really hating the pandemic more and more and then they start to live through their characters? Just me? Great. (I swear to god if someone actually gives me a hug I might start crying)
> 
> Moving on. Okay, so let me know what you all thought of this chapter. I think I'll give you guys a short break from the angst my friend is seriously going to come for me. Anyway, I hope you are all having a good day. 
> 
> I do realize that these notes are getting progressively weirder but at this point I'm too tired to care. <3


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly fluff, I felt bad for giving you guys so much angst 
> 
> The song is "Unconditional" by Freya Ridings (So good, I really recommend)

The next morning Dinah had to work. Laurel went down with her because Conner and Rose were also coming back that day. She needed to talk to them too. 

“You ready?” Dinah asked before they walked in. 

“Sure.” Laurel answered. 

“Oh my god, Laurel.” Rose said almost immediately after they walked in. She grabbed Conner’s arm. Skylar looked up and saw her, then immediately pulled out their phone to text someone, most likely Kate. 

“Heyyyy...” Laurel said. Dinah tried not to smile at her reaction. 

Rose came closer to both of them. “Are you back?” She almost whispered.

Laurel nodded and grabbed Dinah’s hand. “Yeah. I’m back.” Rose put her hand over her mouth and pulled Laurel in for a hug. “Oh, okay.” She said, not expecting that reaction. 

“Okay, thank god. You guys okay?” Rose said. 

“Yeah, we worked through it.” Laurel said. 

“I heard you were able to track her down. Said some blonde woman helped you out?” Dinah asked. 

“Yes, she did. She said she was Laurel’s sister. Do you know where she came from? How did she know we were looking?” Rose asked. 

Laurel and Dinah looked at each other. “Yeah, it’s best not to read into that too much.” Laurel said. 

“Welcome back, guys.” Conner said smiling, acting the most relaxed about this.

“Oh my god, guys, you two are back?” Skylar said when they came closer. They both nodded. “Finally. Do you know how much scheming we had to do?” They asked. 

“Wait, you guys were all in on it?” Dinah asked. 

“Yeah, me, Kate, Rose, and Conner were looking for a way to help you guys out.” 

“Well it worked. We’re here now, and we’re good.” Laurel said. Skylar smiled. 

“I just texted Kate, she’s going to be so happy.” They said. The commotion of Laurel being back died down after a few minutes, and Laurel and Dinah were left alone at the bar. 

“Well that was… unique.” Dinah said. 

“That’s one word for it. I didn't realize they were so invested in the two of us.” Laurel said.

“I know, right?” Dinah responded. “Although I’m grateful, that was really helpful for us.” Laurel nodded. 

“Hey, Dinah, are you going to sing something today?” Conner asked after some time passed. 

Dinah looked at Laurel, then at the stage, then back at Conner. “You know what, I think I will.” She said, smiling brightly. Laurel squeezed her hand and Dinah walked up to the piano for the first time in over two weeks. 

“Hey everyone, sorry it’s been so long since I’ve sung anything for you, but I’m here. I’m back.” Dinah said into the microphone. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started to play. “ _Stay with me, darling. Stay with me, darling. Let us lose ourselves in the moonlight. Lose ourselves, as we find. That there's nothing I could say that would make you go away. No danger I was in and you wouldn't step in my way. I'm not alone anymore. This love's unconditional._ ” Laurel smiled at her choice. It was what she needed to hear to remind her that coming home was the right choice. “ _Sway with me, darling. Just sway with me, darling. Let us lose ourselves in the moment. Lose ourselves, as we both find. That there's nothing you could say that would make me go away. No danger you are in and I wouldn't step in the way. You're not alone anymore, 'cause this love's unconditional_ ” Dinah finished her song and practically ran offstage. 

“You’re so good.” Laurel gave her a quick kiss when she got back to where she was. 

“Thanks. It’s been so long since I’ve done that.” Dinah said. 

Laurel frowned slightly. “So the reason you couldn’t sing before… that was because of me?” 

Dinah laughed. “I don’t know if you noticed this yet Laurel, but almost every song I sing is about you.” Laurel rolled her eyes lovingly. 

“Okay, Drake, I see how it is.” 

“Yeah, but in all seriousness, I couldn’t think of anything to sing that wasn’t about you so I just didn’t sing.” Dinah finally answered. 

“Well it’s a good thing I’m back.” Laurel said. 

“Yes. For so many reasons.” Dinah said. “Oh, oh my god, I forgot to tell you.” Dinah said excitedly. 

“What?” Laurel asked. 

“Rose and Conner moved in together!” She said. 

“Really?” Dinah nodded. “That’s amazing! I’m so happy for them.”

“They are going to be so happy, I can’t wait for that.” Dinah replied. “I mean, of course they already are happy, but we know how it feels living with the person you love.” Dinah added.

“That’s very true, we do.” Laurel said back. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About another week passed, and for the most part everything was going back to normal. Laurel and Dinah quickly got back into their old routine, and Conner and Rose were happy together. 

Skylar and Kate on the other hand, seemed to be going through an argument. They came into work one day arguing about something. Dinah called them over. 

“What’s going on?” She asked. 

“Skylar thinks that turning up the air conditioning makes it colder.” Kate said, crossing her arms. 

“Yes! Air conditioning makes things cooler, so if you were to turn it up, it would make the room colder.” Skylar explained. Dinah rolled her eyes.

“No, no, you’re wrong. ‘Higher’ means hotter because you’re setting the room to a higher temperature.” Kate shot back. 

“That doesn’t even make sense! We aren’t talking about the room temperature, we’re talking about how much the AC is doing.” Skylar replied. 

Dinah put a tray down forcefully to get them to be quiet. “For the record, this is the _dumbest_ argument I have ever heard. But I have to agree with Skylar.” 

“Ayo!” They yelled. Kate frowned. 

“Turning up the AC makes it colder. Sorry Kate, nothing you were saying makes any sense.” Dinah said. 

“Ugh, fine.” She said in defeat. “Maybe this is why I didn’t get into college.” Both Skylar and Dinah laughed at that. 

“Speaking of which, how is the job search going? I don’t want to lose you, but I hope you find something that makes you happy.” Dinah asked. 

“I have an interview with an animation studio in a week, so I’m hoping that goes well.” She said. 

“That’s amazing. I hope you get it, although I’ll be sad to see you go.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll still come back here from time to time. Skylar will still be here, so of course you’ll see me.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t let her just forget about this place.” Skylar added. 

“Good. I’ve gotten used to you two being around.” Dinah said. They went to work and Dinah quietly laughed at their argument once they were far enough away. 

Later that night Dinah was finished closing down the bar. She went upstairs and the lights in her apartment were off. Her paranoia getting the better of her, she waited a minute before opening the door and prepared herself for whatever would be coming. She opened the door slowly, slipped inside, and closed the door behind her. 

“Surprise!” Everyone yelled. Once again, Laurel, Rose, Conner, Skylar, and Kate were in her living room with birthday decorations. 

“Wait, what?” Dinah asked, confused.

“Well, I felt bad about how your birthday got cut short last time, so this is your redo.” Laurel explained. “We actually remembered the cake this time.” 

“Yup, and I will not be leaving until the party is over.” Conner added. Laurel looked at him and laughed. 

“You better not.” Laurel threatened playfully. 

“Guys, this is the best. I mean, I loved the first one, but I have to admit that there are some bad memories that come up when I think about it. But this, this one is going to be perfect.” Dinah thanked them. 

“I’m glad you are getting the birthday you deserve, Dinah. You’ve done so much for all of us.” Rose added. 

“I was in a rough place when you hired me, and now I’m happier than I’ve been in years.” Kate said. 

“Me too.” Skylar said. 

“Especially me.” Laurel added softly. 

“You’ve done so much for all of us that this is the least we can do for you.” Rose said. 

“I don’t know what to say.” Dinah said smiling. 

“Don’t say anything, just have some cake.” Conner said. Dinah moved closer to Laurel and held her hand. 

“Especially you?” She whispered while they were cutting the cake.

“You made me want to change. And you’ve pulled me back from the edge time after time.” Laurel immediately said back.

“Wow.” Dinah breathed. “You answered really fast.” Laurel laughed softly and they moved back into the living room with everyone else.

“I’d like to make a toast.” Conner said. “Dinah, look around the room. At all of us. You have changed each of our lives. You came out of the blue and hired me, introduced to me to the love of my life, and now these people are some of my closest friends. I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for everything you’ve done. You know, there was an ‘anonymous donor’ that paid for my hospital bill. I think we all know that you were the one who did that.” Dinah smiled wider and rolled her eyes. It was her that did that, and she should’ve assumed that they figured it out. “I would’ve been in a lot of debt if she didn’t do that, because we all know that the American Healthcare system has issues.” 

“Hell yeah!” Skylar yelled. 

“Thank you, Skylar.” Conner continued. “Anyway, what I’m saying is that you have always helped anyone you’ve come across. You are one of the best people I’ve met.” Conner raised his glass. “To Dinah.” 

“To Dinah.” Everyone repeated. 

“I would like to add something.” Skylar spoke up. “I was not accepted in my hometown. For two very obvious reasons. But when I ran away and came here, Dinah seemed to appear out of nowhere only days after I landed here. She offered me a job, and then I told her I was seventeen she told me to come the day I turned eighteen, which was only two weeks later. In less than a month I had a place where people cared about me. For the first time I felt like I belonged. Almost a year passed, I met Kate, and now my life is everything I wanted it to be.”

Rose spoke up next. “I was in a bad place when Dinah found me. A place I’m sure some of you have been before, and I thought that things would never get better. The night Dinah found me I had just been stood up for the third time, by the same guy, and I really couldn't see much of a future. Dinah was there. I don’t know how she showed up at the perfect time, but she did. She offered me a job, and even when I got better she continued to make sure I was okay. She still does. My life is good now, and I can see my future and it’s pretty bright.” 

“I’m still fairly new, so you all know my past.” Kate said. “I thought my story ended when I left home, but it only just started. Dinah's the one who made sure that it started off right.” 

“Dinah has saved my life.” Laurel added. “More times than I think she realizes. I owe so much of my happiness to her.”

Dinah was speechless. She started tearing up as soon as Conner started talking, so she was almost a mess when Laurel finished talking. 

“Guys, I can’t believe this. Thank you.” Dinah choked out. 

“No. Thank you.” Conner said, speaking for all of them. They all raised their glasses and Laurel went to give Dinah a hug. 

“I love you guys.” Dinah moved to give everyone else a hug. “There goes me trying to stay composed.” 

“Oh, that was never going to happen.” Rose said, who was also crying. 

“Okay, I’m good now.” Dinah said, wiping her face. “Well, thank you guys so much for this. I knew that finding all of you was a good idea.” They went back to casually talking, and Laurel and Dinah told them some stories about their vigilante days. Without giving away too much, of course. They figured they could know about their past now, since both Laurel and Dinah were mostly retired. 

“A lot more about you two makes sense now.” Conner said. 

“Yeah, but I also have so many questions.” Rose added. “Although I have a feeling you won’t answer them.” Dinah and Laurel looked at each other and Laurel raised her eyebrows.

“Probably not.” Dinah said. 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Kate started. “So you were both the Black Canary? At the same time?” They both nodded. “Who was first?” When Laurel didn’t say anything Dinah subtly elbowed her in the ribs. 

“Oh, right, yeah, that was me.” Laurel said finally. Dinah tried to stifle a laugh. 

“Damn, that’s pretty badass.” Skylar commented. “I am honored to be working at your bar. Also scared. But I feel safer. It’s a weird feeling.” 

Everyone laughed. “Well, I can’t say I blame you.” Laurel said. 

“It’s nice to relive the days that we were in constant danger.” Dinah said. 

“You and I have very different definitions of ‘nice’” Laurel said. Dinah rolled her eyes. 

“I have to say, I knew some things about you were probably pretty wild, but I did not expect this.” Conner said. “Not a bad thing, though. A very cool thing.” 

“Well, you guys don’t have to worry.” Dinah said. “Maybe.” She added as a joke. 

“Holy shit, it’s one AM.” Skylar said. “I forgot that I have to wake up in the morning.” 

“Don’t you hate it when that happens?” Kate said.

“We should go too.” Conner said. Rose nodded and stood up. 

“Happy birthday, Dinah.” Rose said as they left. 

“Thanks guys.” Dinah said. “And you too, Laurel. Tonight was perfect.”

“You know, we could make it a little more perfect…” Laurel suggested. 

“What are we waiting for?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say here, but it is going to be a bit of a wait for the next chapter. Let me know what you think of this one, and I hope you are all doing ok


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I thought this was all you guys would be getting from me for awhile, but I think I have a good idea.

“Good morning, gorgeous.” Laurel said to Dinah once they both woke up. 

Dinah smiled sleepily. “Mmm good morning.” She shifted in bed slightly. “Do I really have to get up? I’m so tired.”

“While I might be partly to blame for your lack of sleep, I think you do.” Laurel said.

“Worth it.” She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Thanks for my party. Best one I’ve had.”

“Anything for you. I’m just glad I was able to make it up to you.” Laurel said, also climbing out of bed. 

“You make it up to me everyday. Just by being here.” Dinah replied. 

“I love you.” Laurel came over and gave Dinah a kiss. They got out of bed and went downstairs. Lasagna was meowing aggressively at the garbage can. 

“What’s wrong, baby?” Laurel asked, sitting down next to the kitten. Lasagna just trotted over to Laurel’s feet, bit them, and ran off towards the couch. “Good talk.” Dinah laughed quietly. 

“I swear, she gets weirder every day. At least Oreo is semi-normal.” Dinah pointed out. Oreo was trying to bury her food using the solid ground. “You know what, never mind.” 

Laurel smiled. “Well, we aren’t exactly normal, so I guess it makes sense.” Dinah nodded. Dinah was about to make breakfast, but they heard a knock at the door. They both looked at each other in confusion. Before either of them could even go answer it, the door flung open and they walked inside. 

“Sara? Why are you here?” Laurel asked. 

“Ah, okay. Just making sure everything worked out.” Sara answered. 

“Right, because you ambushed my wait staff.” Dinah said. 

“I wouldn’t call it an ambush…” She trailed off. “They needed help. I gave them the extra push. Let’s face it, they couldn’t have figured it out on their own.” Sara pointed out. 

“I mean you aren’t wrong…” Laurel replied. “Thank you. We also needed that push.” 

“That’s it. Gotta get back to time travel. You two, stay good.” Sara turned to leave. “Don’t make me come back.” She added with a sly smile. 

“Always nice to see you.” Dinah said. She laughed. “Okay, so breakfast?” 

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask.” Laurel said sarcastically.

“You know what, Lance?” Dinah said. Laurel just winked at her. Dinah rolled her eyes and started cooking. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About a week passed. Kate was about to leave for her job interview, but had stopped by the bar first to talk to Skylar and Dinah. 

“Look, Kate, you’re talented, you’re a good person, they’ll love you.” Dinah assured her while she was talking about everything that could possibly go wrong. “And if they don’t, they will be missing out. And it’s not like you’ll be out on the streets.” She added.

“I hope you're right. Maybe they’ll love me.” Kate said uncertainty. 

“I know I do.” Skylar added without thinking. Kate looked at them with her eyebrows raised. 

“What?” Kate said in a high pitched voice. 

“What?” Skylar said in the same way. 

“I’m going to just…” Dinah said, slowly backing away. Not far enough that she couldn’t hear their conversation, though. 

“Did you just say you love me?” Kate asked slowly. 

“Yes, I did, but I don’t want to-” Skylar began, trying to backpedal. 

“I do too. Love you, I mean.” Kate cut Skylar off. 

Skylar paused for a minute. “That’s good.” They smiled. 

Kate smiled in response. “Yeah, it is.” The two of them continue to stare at each other wide-eyed.

“Good luck with your interview.” 

“Thank you.” Kate started to leave, still smiling brightly. 

“Wait.” Skylar put their hand on Kate’s shoulder and turned her around to kiss her. “Okay, we’re good now.” 

“Yes, yes we are.” Kate said. She smiled and giggled softly. “Okay.” Skylar sat down on one of the barstools with a grin. Dinah came back closer to them. 

“You heard all of that?” Skylar asked.

Dinah nodded. “You guys are cute. I’m glad you’ll be sticking around for a while after Kate finds a job.” 

“Yeah, me too. And we both know that she is definitely getting that job.” Skylar said. 

“Oh yeah, for sure.” Dinah said. Skylar went back to work, but they couldn’t stop smiling the rest of their shift. After they finished they hung around and waited for Kate to come back. Conner and Rose eventually came into work as well. 

“So what’s going on with Skylar today? They seem… I don’t know exactly how to put it.” Rose asked. 

“Skylar and Kate just said I love you for the first time before Kate left. It was very awkward, but very sweet.” Dinah told them. 

Conner smiled. “Ah, I remember those days.” He said. 

“Yeah, it was actually right before our double date.” Rose said. 

“Really?” Dinah asked. They both nodded. 

“I was pacing nervously in my apartment beforehand, as one does, and Conner came in and asked me what was wrong, and even though I didn’t give him a straight answer he still knew exactly how I was feeling. I said ‘that is why I love you’ and then we both realized what I said.” Rose explained. 

“Clearly, I felt the same way.” Conner added. “And now we’re here.” 

“I can’t believe it was the night of our double date, I had no idea. Although, you were both in remarkably good moods so it makes sense. Laurel’s mind went somewhere else, though.” Dinah said. 

“Well…” Rose trailed off. Conner blushed and looked at her. “I’m kidding!” She said. 

“You’re welcome.” Dinah said to Conner as she walked away. His face just got redder. Rose playfully nudged him in the side, and he leaned into her shoulder. 

“You’re the worst.” Conner said quietly. Rose laughed. 

“I know. You love it.” 

“Well, yeah.” 

Laurel came down to the bar after some time had passed. “Did Kate come back from her interview yet?” She asked as soon as she saw Dinah. 

“Not yet, but I think she’ll be back soon. I know it’s going to go well. She’s ready for it.” Dinah answered. She also filled Laurel in on what had happened before Kate left, and Laurel had a very similar reaction to Rose and Conner’s. 

“You’re a real matchmaker, Drake.” Laurel commented. 

“It’s a gift.” 

“She’s back!” Someone called out. Everyone turned to look at the door and saw Kate walking in. She rushed over to the bar and Laurel, Dinah, Rose, Conner, and Skylar all gathered around her. 

“So? How’d it go?” Skylar pressed after no one said anything. 

Kate paused for a minute before her face broke into a grin. “Oh my god it went so well! They asked me a lot of tough questions, but I could answer all of them, and they loved some of my old stuff. It was really, really, good.” Kate took a deep breath. “Oh, and at the end they told me I was exactly the kind of person they were looking for and that they would call me either tomorrow or the day after.” 

“Kate, that’s amazing!” Skylar said. “I’m so proud of you.” They gave Kate a hug. 

“I have a lot of faith in you, although I will try not to be upset about losing you.” Dinah said. “You’ll be great.” 

“Guys, I don’t even have the job.” Kate said. 

“Yet.” Laurel and Conner said at the same time. Rose rolled her eyes, still smiling. 

“You’re going to have to visit us, still. Otherwise we might come find you.” Rose said. 

“Yes, of course.” Kate replied. Everyone congratulated her again and got back to work. Later, Skylar took Kate out for dinner to celebrate her job interview going well. Laurel smiled as she watched them leave. 

“What are you thinking about?” Conner asked her. 

“Dinah.” She responded. 

“You know, I kind of always assume you’re thinking about Dinah, just because of how much you love her.” Conner commented. “What specifically?” 

“Just… I don’t know.” Laurel said, clearly hiding something. 

“Come on, Laurel. What’s going on?” Conner continued to ask.

“Things are going really well right now. With everyone. And it seems like every time we settle into something normal, and happy, something goes wrong.” Laurel said. 

“That can’t be true.” Conner said. 

“We get together. I meet her parents, her mom practically disowns her. She got over that, we were happy. Then when I got stabbed-” 

“Hold on, you got stabbed? Recently?” Conner asked, surprised. 

“Not the point.” Laurel continued. “When I got stabbed, things almost fell apart for a little while. We managed to put the pieces back together but then you got into the car accident and that’s when everything really crumbled. But we picked up the pieces and built something stronger, and now we are are probably at our best. Things have been going well for a while and I feel like something terrible is about to happen.” Laurel finished. 

Conner paused before responding. “I mean, that’s a valid concern. A lot has happened to you guys. But I think the point isn’t that bad things keep happening, it’s that you two become stronger for it. I think that means something.” 

Laurel smiled softly. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“Even if something does happen to you, you will always know that Dinah is there for you. Don’t worry about the future when you have something good right now. I don’t often give advice, but when I do, that’s my advice.” 

“Thanks Conner. Rose is really lucky to have you.” Laurel said. 

“Oh, please. Have you met her?” He said. “I’m the lucky one here.” 

“Yeah, yeah, you are both pretty great. Now get back to work before Dinah realizes.” Laurel said. 

“Right. She is not a person I want to make mad.” Conner said. 

“That’s right.” Dinah said, coming up behind him. He jumped. “I’m kidding, you’re fine.” Conner laughed and got back to work. 

“Hey D.” Laurel said.

“Hey.” Dinah said. “You okay?” 

“I’m good.” Laurel answered. “I just keep getting reminded of how much I love you.” 

“Ah, must be so rough.” Dinah said. Laurel playfully shoved her shoulder. 

“Shush, you know I love that.” Laurel replied. Dinah smiled. “Are you going to sing something?” Laurel asked. 

“Not today, I’m not really feeling it.” Dinah answered. 

“Is everything okay?” Laurel asked. “You always sing.” 

Dinah shrugged. “My throat kind of hurts, but I’ll be fine. I’ll just drink tea, it’ll be fine.” She said. 

“Okay. You know I worry about you.” Laurel said. 

“Oh, says the girl who keeps getting stabbed.” 

“Uncalled for, Drake.” 

Dinah rolled her eyes lovingly. “Fine, fine.”

The next day, everyone was at work again. Laurel was hanging around the bar making small talk with everyone, and Kate was anxiously checking her phone for news about the job. 

“When should she hear if she got it by?” Dinah whispered to Skylar at one point. 

“Should be by the end of the day. I have a feeling they’ll call in the next few hours.” Skylar whispered back. “She’s been doing that since we woke up.” 

“I hope she gets it.” Dinah said. They nodded in agreement. A few minutes passed, and then Kate’s phone rang. Everyone suddenly stopped and looked at her. She hurriedly took her phone out of her pocket and looked at the caller. Kate immediately rolled her eyes and held up her phone. 

“It says Spam Likely. You’ve got to be kidding me.” She said. Dinah and Skylar tried not to laugh. They went on working. 

“Okay, guys, it’s them!” Kate yelled out. She ran out of the bar to have some quiet. Everyone paused and looked at each other. Laurel looked at Dinah, who was tapping her hand on the table anxiously. After a couple of minutes Kate came back inside with a sad look. “I got the job.” She said. 

“Kate, that’s amazing!” Skylar said. Kate just nodded. 

“I’m so proud of you, I knew they would love you.” Dinah said. 

Skylar noticed that Kate wasn’t as happy as everyone else. “This is really good, what’s the problem?”

Kate sighed. “It’s in New York. They want me to move across the country.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops. Sorry. Not really, I like doing this to you guys (Talking about you Liza). Anyway, I hope you like it and please let me know what you think. I appreciate any and all comments.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy. I didn't know where I was going when I started this chapter, but I think I found it along the way

“New York?” Skylar asked. “That’s crazy far.” Everyone was quiet for a minute. 

Conner spoke up first. “What are you going to do?” Kate shrugged. Skylar was desperately trying to hide the tears forming in their eyes. Laurel glanced at Dinah who was biting her lip. 

“Why don’t you all come upstairs, and we can talk. Is that good?” Laurel suggested. Everyone nodded and Dinah closed down the bar. They went upstairs and sat in the living room. 

“Okay, here’s what happened.” Kate began. “They called, and they told me I was the best person they interviewed. In fact, they liked me so much they offered me a job that was a step above the one I interviewed for. The one in New York.” 

“I mean, that’s pretty amazing. You are really talented.” Rose said. “I hate to say it, but it sounds perfect for you.” Kate nodded. 

“It does.” Dinah said. “Kate, when I found you I immediately saw a spark in you. You are so talented and you should do whatever makes you happy. Whatever choice that you feel gives you a future.” She sighed. “I would hate to lose you. Any of you, really. I’ve gotten attached to all of you and you’ve become very important to me. But if you go I will support you a hundred percent.” 

Kate took in what everyone was saying. “Thank you. I told them I would need some time to consider their offer.”

“Yeah, take as much time as you need.” Conner added. 

“Skylar, what’d you think?” Kate asked. Skylar had been staring intensely at the ground. They finally looked up when Kate spoke to them. 

“Honestly, I just want you to be happy.” They said softly. “If leaving makes you happy, then you should go. I shouldn’t try and stop you.” 

Kate bit her lip. “Okay.” They paused. “God, this has been my dream since I was twelve. Back then I had nothing to lose. But now I have something that I’ll miss and I don’t know what to do about it.” 

“It’s hard making a choice like this.” Laurel said. 

“I’m going to go home and think about it.” Kate said. “I’ll come back here tomorrow morning with an answer.” Everyone nodded and Kate grabbed her stuff and left. Rose and Conner left soon after, but Skylar was still sitting on their couch. 

“Are you doing okay?” Dinah asked. Skylar shook their head. “I figured.” 

“I really want her to be happy. I do. But I can’t just let her go. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, I don’t know what will happen if she leaves.” Skylar said, on the verge of tears. 

“You could always date long distance.” Laurel offered. “But I know that’s hard and not the same.” Skylar wiped their eyes. 

“Is it okay if I just crash here tonight? If I go home I’ll just drive myself crazy.” They asked. 

“Of course.” Dinah said. “I’ll make you a bed on the couch.” Skylar opened their mouth to thank her but Dinah cut her off. “Don’t even worry about it, I know how hard this is.” 

Dinah and Laurel went upstairs after Skylar fell asleep. Both of them were worried about them. Kate was probably going to take the job and go to New York, leaving Skylar in Star City. Things wouldn’t be the same. 

“If Kate leaves, do you think the two of them will be okay?” Laurel whispered to Dinah. 

“I honestly don’t know. They would be living across the country and would barely be able to see each other. I think it would be too hard for them.” Dinah replied. 

“Are you okay?” Laurel asked. 

“Yeah. I knew she wouldn’t be here forever, but I didn’t think she’d find something so quick. And so far away.” Dinah answered. “Are you?” 

“I think so. I think Kate would thrive in New York. It would have everything she’s been searching for.” Laurel said. “But I’ll really miss her.” 

“God, me too. We’ve become really close to these people, and now one of them will just be gone.” Dinah sighed. “We should go to bed. Big day tomorrow.” Laurel nodded. She gave Dinah a quick kiss and climbed into bed. 

The morning came too quickly. It started to rain around dawn, which woke Skylar up. They never got up this early but this was a very unusual set of circumstances. They paced around Dinah and Laurel’s apartment until they woke up. Rose and Conner came over soon after. Kate wasn’t there yet. 

“Sorry we’re so early, we were going to come later but…” Conner trailed off. 

“I get it.” Laurel said. 

“I’m making you all breakfast while we wait, okay?” Dinah said. Dinah made them all food, but everyone was too nervous to eat. They made small talk, but it was hard to think about anything else. 

“It’s been an hour.” Rose said. “Do you think she’ll be here soon?” 

“She’ll come.” Skylar said surely. “She’s going to be here soon, I can feel it.” Sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, the door opened and Kate stepped inside.

“I’ve made a decision.” Kate announced. Everyone was already staring at her. 

“And?” Skylar asked impatiently. 

Kate took a deep breath. “I’m going to take the job. I’m moving to New York.” Skylar looked at the ground intensely without saying anything. 

Dinah spoke up first. “That’s really good, Kate. I think you’ll be really happy. I’m proud of you.” Kate smiled slightly. 

“Don’t forget us when you’re famous.” Conner added. 

“I’ll really miss you Kate. But I think this is the best thing that could’ve happened. You’re going to do great things.” Rose said. 

“Good job, kid.” Laurel said. 

Kate smiled at all of them. “And Skylar-” 

“No, no, I get it. I’m really happy for you.” Skylar said, finally looking her in the eye. “I’m just a little sad to be losing you. But I know you’re going to be amazing. You already are.” Silent tears started to stream down their face. “You know, I think I’m going head home. I’m really, really, proud of you Kate.” Skylar said, standing up and wiping their eyes. “See you guys around.” They left before anyone could protest. 

“I’m sorry Kate, I know how hard it can be.” Laurel said. 

“I’m going after them.” Kate said, running out into the rain after them. “Skylar, wait, please!” She called. It was pouring so hard that Kate could barely see five feet in front of her.

“Kate, I don’t know what you want me to say.” Skylar said, turning around. “I’m happy for you. I’m just upset for now. I didn’t want to lose you.” 

“You’re not going to lose me.” Kate told them.

“What are you talking about? Of course I’m going to lose you, you’re moving three thousand miles-” 

“What if you came with me?” Kate asked, cutting them off. “I know we haven’t been together for that long, but-” 

“You want me to come with you?” Skylar asked. 

“Yeah. I do.” 

Skylar didn’t hesitate. “Okay.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. We’re going to move to New York together.” 

“Oh my god.” Kate broke out into a huge smile. 

“I know.” Skylar said with a similar expression. “This is perfect.” 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Skylar pulled Kate towards them and kissed her. It was still pouring and they were already soaked. 

“I never could have left you behind.” Kate said, their foreheads still touching. She laced her fingers through Skylar’s. “You are one of the most important things in my life.” 

Back upstairs, Dinah, Laurel, Rose, and Conner were trying to figure out what was happening. 

“I think Skylar’s going to go with her. They love each other too much to be separated.” Laurel said. 

“I agree, Kate wouldn’t leave them behind.” Dinah replied. 

“Yeah, maybe.” Rose said. “But what if they don’t go together? That would hurt everyone.” 

Conner nodded. “They’ve both been so happy, if Kate left by herself Skylar would be heartbroken.” 

They murmured in agreement. The four of them stayed relatively quiet until the door opened and they all stood up. Skylar and Rose were in the doorway holding hands. 

“I’m going with her.” Skylar announced. Everyone smiled, but were all thinking the same thing. They were going to lose both of them.

“That’s great. I’m really excited for both of you.” Rose said, speaking up first. 

“Yeah, you guys will be so happy.” Conner added. Laurel and Dinah glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing. 

“You guys have no idea how much I’ll miss you guys. But I’m happy for you.” Dinah said. 

“We will all really miss you.” Laurel said. Everyone nodded. 

“We are going to really miss you guys too. You have really changed my life.” Kate added. “But this is the beginning of my dream. Our dream.” She added quickly. 

“I can’t really imagine my life if I didn’t come here. So leaving is going to be really hard.” Skylar said. Kate nodded. 

Conner clapped his hands together. “We need to plan a goodbye party!” He said excitedly. He immediately looked at Laurel.

Laurel laughed. “My party planning days are behind me, this is on you.” Conner pretended to glare at her. 

“How can I find new waiters that are exactly like the two of you…” Dinah said, trailing off. Everyone laughed. “I’m kidding, I could never replace you guys.” 

They talked for a little a while longer, and then came the inevitable question of, “When do you leave?” which was asked by Rose. 

“I start in two weeks.” Kate said, her smile slipping away. “It’s really soon, but they want me to start as soon as possible. And I want to get there at least three days before I start… which only leaves me a little more than a week of being here.” 

“Yeah, we have to pack up and leave pretty quickly.” Skylar shrugged. “We’ll be okay. There’s enough time to tie up all of our loose ends.” 

Kate nodded. “Good thing my apartment is the size of a shoe, so it won’t take me very long.” She forced out a laugh. 

“I’ve gotta start planning. Dinah, can we have it here?” Conner asked. 

“Of course. If you need anything, let me know.” Dinah replied. “These next few days are going to be rough, aren’t they?” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two days went by. Kate and Skylar got packed up pretty fast and sent a lot of their stuff ahead of them. Kate was staying in Skylar’s apartment for the last few days they’d be in Star City, because she didn’t want to stay in her tiny apartment any longer than she had to. 

“Are you going to tell your parents that you’re leaving?” Skylar asked Kate when they were sitting on the couch one evening. 

“I didn’t tell them when I was running away, and since they didn’t come looking for me I don’t think they care where I am.” Kate responded. “I made peace with leaving them behind a long time ago.” 

“That makes sense. They will hear your name again one day when you’re famous.” Skylar said. Kate laughed. 

“That’ll hurt their ego.” Kate said. “What about you? Are you going to tell your family?”

“Am I going to go back to people who will just misgender me? Hell no.” Skylar said with a grin. “I want to reach out to my sister, though. Maeve. She was really young when I ran away from home, so she might not even remember me.” 

“How old was she again?” Kate asked. 

“Six. She should be eight now. Turns nine in October.” Skylar said. “She always looked up to me. Was young enough that she didn’t judge me for anything, but she was old enough to understand that I left her. I bet my parents talk shit about me to her already.” They sighed. “Maybe when she’s older. I don’t know.” 

Kate thought about it for a minute. “I think you should. She probably just misses you. Maybe you can stop her from turning out like your parents.” Skylar just nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Skylar said. “I don’t know how to set up something where I won’t see my parents. Not in a couple of days.” Kate started to smile slowly. “Oh no, what are you planning?” 

“I have an idea. Call Laurel, she can help us out.” Was all Kate said. Skylar listened, and Kate went into their room to grab a few things. 

“ _What’s up Skylar?_ ” Laurel asked. 

“I need help reconnecting with my sister back home. Kate said to call you for help. You in?” Skylar asked. They gave Laurel as much information as they knew. 

“ _Of course. I need to tell Dinah where I’m going and what I’m doing so she won’t worry, but I’ll be at your apartment in a few minutes. You can fill me in on the way._ ” Laurel replied. 

“Okay, see you then.” They hung up and went to see what Kate was doing. “Laurel’s coming over.” 

“Perfect.” Kate replied. “Okay, I packed a bag for us, we can totally pull this off. How far away does your family live?” 

“Three or four hours? I think, I honestly don’t really remember.” Skylar said. 

“Are you okay with going to talk to her? If you don’t want to, that's fine, I don’t want to make you do anything.” Kate asked. 

Skylar paused for a second. “I think I’m ready. I miss Maeve a lot. I needed a push to see her again.” Kate smiled and gave them a quick kiss. After about half an hour, Laurel knocked on the door. “Come in.” Skylar said. She walked into the apartment as Skylar and Kate came out of their bedroom. 

“Are you ready to go?” Kate asked. 

Laurel nodded. “Yup. I had to pick up some stuff from the drugstore for Dinah, so that’s why it took me so long.”

“No worries. Is she okay?” Skylar asked. 

“Yeah, her throat has just been bugging her the past couple of days. She’s probably fine though, I’m not too concerned.” Laurel lied. She was very concerned, Dinah never got sick. But Dinah seemed to think everything was okay so she let it go. 

“Alright. Let’s go.” Kate said. Skylar and Laurel followed her out the door. 

“So what are we doing, exactly?” Laurel asked.

“Oh, here’s the deal…” Skylar began. They filled Laurel in as they drove. The three of them started to discuss plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as angsty as you guys probably thought it would be, right? Okay, yeah, there's still angst and yes, there will be more. Why, you ask, am I doing this to you? Well my friends, because everything sucks. That is a universal truth. 
> 
> That being said, let me know what you guys think, I love your comments


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween

“Okay, my sister should be getting out of school around three-thirty.” Skylar stated plainly. They were in the back of a coffee shop, and they were planning on how to find Maeve. “That gives us an hour to get to her, and we still don’t know how to make sure I see my parents.”

Laurel was sitting with her feet up and her laptop resting on her legs. “Here it is. Today your parents said they were going to some church thing.” Laurel said. “It ends at five, and it’s eight miles from your house.”

“Wait, how did you find my address? I never told you.” Skylar questioned. Laurel just shrugged and took a long sip of her coffee. “Okay, moving on.”

“That means no one will be able to pick up Maeve from school, so she would be walking, right?” Kate asked. Skylar nodded. “Okay, so if we catch her on the way home, that’ll give you two enough time to talk uninterrupted.” 

“Kate and I will be running backend in case anything unexpected happens, and we’ll get you out of there.” Laurel said, typing furiously. She looked up and saw Skylar and Kate giving her a weird look. “What?” 

“Backend?” Skylar asked. 

Laurel sighed and leaned back. “Ah, the days of missions.” Kate and Skylar just laughed. 

“Okay, Maeve goes to the same school I used to, so she shouldn’t be hard to find.” Skylar said. “Oh, god, I didn’t realize I’d be this nervous.” 

“It’s scary. It’s been what, two, three years since you’ve seen her?” Laurel asked. “It’s going to be hard to face her, but you’ll feel better about it in the end.” 

“And you said that Maeve always accepted you. She’ll probably just be glad you came back to see her again.” Kate added.

“Okay, let’s do this.” Skylar said. They waited a little longer in the coffee shop so they wouldn’t show up too early, and then they left to go to the school. 

Kate and Laurel waited in the car and watched Skylar stand outside the school awkwardly. They kept glancing at the front of the school and checking their watch. Three minutes left. Two. Then one. Skylar looked back to Kate and Laurel in the car and Kate gave them a reassuring thumbs up. The doors to the school opened and kids started to come out. Skylar started to look through the crowd to find their sister. Before they could spot her in the crowd, a girl came up behind them. 

“Skylar?!” She exclaimed. Skylar turned around and was face to face with the girl. 

“Maeve, oh my god.” Maeve immediately ran into their arms. Skylar wrapped her in a hug and kissed the top of her head. “I missed you.” They whispered. From the car, Kate and Laurel high-fived. 

“Skylar… What are you doing here?” Maeve asked. She took a step back and crossed her arms. The unsaid “Why did you wait so long?” hung in the air. 

“We should talk. Can we go back home?” Skylar said. “There’s a lot to talk about.” 

“Yeah, I guess, but Mom and Dad-” Maeve began. 

“Are at a church thing until five. We got time.” Skylar offered a light smile. “Of course I planned this out.” Maeve smiled in return. They started back towards Maeve’s house and Laurel and Kate waited until they made it there to pull out of the parking lot and park near their house. 

The walk was relatively quiet. Skylar wanted to wait to tell Maeve they were leaving when they were inside, and Maeve hadn’t fully processed the situation yet. Once they got inside they sat down on the couch together. 

“Why did you come back?” Maeve finally asked. “Why did it take you two years?” She said bluntly. 

“I’m moving to New York.” Skylar forced out. “In about a week and a half. I was just going to leave, but I had to say goodbye to you.” 

“Why? You didn’t bother to do that the first time you left.” Maeve replied. Skylar thought back to that day. It was Skylar’s junior year, and Maeve was six. Skylar had it all planned out. They packed a bag, pretended to stay home sick, and when their whole family was at work, and Maeve at school, Skylar took all of the money they saved up and left. Without even a note.

“I know. I’m sorry. And I know you won’t forgive me right away, and you shouldn’t, but I never got a chance to tell you how much you meant to me.” Skylar said. Maeve just raised her eyebrows. “You always loved me. You accepted me even when I would be getting screamed at by Mom and Dad. I remember that after those arguments you’d come into my room and just talk. Even though you were so young you just wanted to make me laugh. And I hate that I left without telling you. I… I didn’t want to risk you getting hurt.” 

Maeve stared into her lap. “My friends would ask about you sometimes. I just told them you moved out. Teachers would ask, ‘do you have any siblings?’ and I wouldn’t know what to say. I started to just say no, I was an only child. That’s what Dad would tell me anyway, he said I was an only child now. That because of what you did to them you were no longer their kid.” Skylar opened their mouth to say something but Maeve kept talking. “I once tried to argue that with Mom. Last year I asked if they knew where you were, and if I could see you again. She said no. She said she didn’t want to know.” 

“Maeve…” Skylar trailed off. It kind of stung that her mom didn’t care about her. She already knew that, of course, but she thought she’d at least pretend to care for Maeve’s sake. “I thought about you every day. About what you were up to, about your friends, all of that. But I couldn’t stay here.” 

“I know.” Maeve said. “I don’t really blame you. It’s Mom and Dad’s fault. I still missed you though, and I’m still mad you waited two years.”

“I should’ve come back sooner.” Maeve nodded. “I’m here now, though, and I can’t make up for lost time, but I wanted you to get the goodbye that you deserved. I’m sorry.” 

“I’ll forgive you.” Maeve smiled, which made Skylar smile as well. “Because I know that you had to get out.” 

“Thank you. I love you, Maeve.” Skylar opened their arms up and Maeve gave them a hug. 

“Love you too. I missed you.” Maeve said. “Why are you going to New York?” She asked. 

“My girlfriend, Kate.” 

“Ooh, you have a girlfriend? Never would have imagined that.” Maeve said, smirking. It was amazing how quickly she got back to making fun of Skylar. 

“Yes, and she’s an amazing artist and got this cool animation job in New York. I’m going with her.” Skylar replied. “She’s also here, she helped me plan this.”

“Does she make you happy?” Maeve asked. Skylar nodded. “That’s good. I hope you like it there. Maybe one day I’ll be able to visit.” 

“Yeah, that’d be really fun.” Skylar said. They both knew that that could never happen. Maeve wouldn’t be able to tell anyone that Skylar came by, and it would be really hard for Maeve to sneak out, especially being so young. 

The two of them kept talking and catching up for the rest of the time they had. When it was five minutes to five, Skylar stood up. “Maeve, I’m sorry, I need to go. Mom and Dad will be home in a few minutes and-”

“You can’t be here.” Maeve said. “It’s fine. You can go. I won’t say anything.”

Skylar tried to say something but got too choked up. They just went over to Maeve and wrapped her in a hug. “I love you. I’ll see you again, okay?” Maeve nodded. 

“I love you too.” 

“Here.” Skylar took out a piece of paper from their pocket and gave it to her. “This is my address in New York. If you ever find a way to send me a letter without anyone knowing, please send one. I’ll respond and get it to you without our parents finding out. Sound good?” Maeve nodded. 

“Okay. I’ll try.” Maeve said, trying not to cry. “I’ll miss you.”

“I won’t forget about you, okay? You’ll hear from me again.” They gave Maeve another hug and walked out the door. It took all their strength not to start sobbing while walking out of the house. As soon as Skylar left, Maeve crawled into her bed and curled up into a ball, figuring out how to hide her emotions from her parents. It would be easy, she’s had to do it before. 

Skylar opened the car door and got in the backseat. Apparently their face gave away how they were feeling. “You okay?” Kate asked. 

They nodded. “Just drive.” Laurel nodded and started the car. “I’ll fill you in later.” The three of them drove back to that one coffee house they were in, and sat somewhere in the back. 

“Okay, so Skylar, was Maeve happy to see you?” Kate asked once they sat down. 

Skylar paused. “Yeah. She was. We talked a lot about how she felt when I left. I didn’t realize how much of an effect it had on her. She also told me that she understood why I left and forgave me for not being able to come back sooner.”

“That’s good. I’m really happy you got closure.” Kate said. 

“Did you tell her about New York?” Laurel asked. 

“I did. I gave her our new address in case she ever finds a way to talk to me without anyone knowing.” They answered. “And Kate, she said she was glad I found you.” Skylar added. Kate blushed. 

“I can make sure she can talk to you.” Laurel said. “I have my ways.” Skylar smiled. 

“Thank you. Thank you both for coming with me. I couldn’t have done this if you gi=uys weren’t here.” Skylar said. 

“Of course.” Kate replied. 

“Besides, who doesn’t love a road trip that takes you to your friend's long lost sister.” Laurel added. 

“Exactly.” Kate said. Skylar smiled. They all left soon after. Kate drove them home, and Laurel fell asleep in the backseat. She woke up when they pulled in front of the bar. 

“See you guys soon. Goodnight.” Laurel yawned, climbing out of the car. 

“Goodnight. Thanks again Laurel.” Skylar said as she left. Laurel was excited to just lay down next to Dinah and sleep. She walked into their apartment, expecting Dinah to be on the couch. That’s exactly how she found her, with both Oreo and Lasagna next to her.

“Hey.” She said quietly. “How’d it go?” 

Laurel came up behind the couch and kissed the top of her head. “It went well. Skylar and their sister were able to reconnect.” She answered. “Is your throat feeling better?” 

“A little.” Dinah answered, clearly lying. “Okay, well, it’s not worse.” 

A look of concern fell over Laurel’s face. “Dinah, maybe you should go to a doctor.” 

“It’s fine, it’ll just go away in a couple days. There’s no need to be worried.” Dinah assured her. Truth be told, Dinah was a little concerned because of how unusual it was, but she figured things would be fine.

“But Dinah, you never get sick. This isn’t normal and I have a bad feeling about it.” Laurel argued. 

“Laurel, I’m fine. I’m going to be fine, okay?”

“Just, please?” Laurel begged. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

“Okay, okay. If it will make you feel better, I’ll get it checked out.” Dinah gave in. “Come here, don’t worry about me. I’m here to stay.”

“If it turns out to be nothing I’ll make sure to make it up to you.” Laurel said. She gave Dinah a kiss and cuddled next to her. “You know I’m just looking out for you.”

Dinah smiled. “Yeah, I know. It’s one of the things I like most about you.”

“I love you, D.” Laurel said. 

“Love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have been a little rough, so this is all you guys will probably be getting out of me for awhile. Sorry everyone, but still, please let me know what you think.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I know I took awhile, but chances are I will start updating weekly instead of every few days, there's just a lot happening

It was the day of Kate and Skylar’s goodbye party. They still had five days left in Star City, but Conner planned it so that it wasn’t the last time they would all see each other. Everyone would be coming over after work, and hopefully they would manage to get through the night without crying. 

It was also the day before Dinah’s doctor’s appointment, and her throat hadn’t gotten any better. Laurel grew increasingly concerned about her, since Dinah seemed a little off. Laurel just wanted everything to be okay, and there was something weird about Dinah not being scared. Dinah was scared, but she didn’t want to worry Laurel even more. So she pretended everything was going to be okay. Laurel tried to do that too. But they both knew that that was a lie. 

“Hey.” Laurel said, coming down to the bar. She’s been making sure that Dinah doesn’t sing while her throat is hurting, although she would never admit to that. 

“Hi. What are you doing down here?” Dinah asked. 

“Just checking on you.” Laurel replied. “And I want to spend as much time here before Skylar and Kate quit. It’ll be weird without them here.” 

“Yeah, it will be. Tomorrow’s their last day. I might need to find more people. Or I could just take over their shifts, like I did when Rose and Conner were out for a while.” Dinah said. 

“That’s true, you probably need to hire someone else. You have a knack for that.” Laurel said. Dinah laughed and rolled her eyes. “You know I’m right.” 

“That I do.” Dinah gave her a quick kiss. 

“Hey Laurel.” Skylar said, coming over to the bar with Kate. 

“How do you guys feel? Are you guys excited to be in New York?” Laurel asked. 

“Honestly, I can’t wait. When I was a little girl this was literally my dream.” Kate said, grinning. 

“I’m excited. I’d go anywhere Kate is.” Skylar answered. They gave Kate a quick kiss. “And it’s nice to know that if I want to talk to my sister again that can happen.”

“That’s good. I’m honestly so happy for you two, you guys are going to have an amazing life together in New York.” Dinah said. 

“Also, Skylar, if you want to get in contact with Maeve, you can always send a letter here if she’s not able to reach out. We can get it to her.” Laurel added. Dinah nodded. 

“You guys are actually the greatest people in the world.” Skylar said. 

“I second that.” Kate added. 

“Yeah, they are.” Rose added from far away. 

They laughed. “We’ll see you guys tonight.” Laurel said. She gave Dinah a kiss on the forehead and went back upstairs while they all finished their shifts. Conner ended up leaving early so he could finish decorating upstairs. Laurel stayed on the couch while he worked, refusing to help. 

“Laurel, helping me put up decorations is not going to end up putting me in a car wreck.” He said finally. 

“Nope. Not taking any chances.” Laurel said. 

“Of course you aren't.” Conner sighed. “How do I know you aren’t just using that as an excuse to do nothing?” He asked after a minute.

“You’ll have to take my word for it.” Laurel said. 

Conner smiled. “It’s nice to know that you are secretly a softie.” He said. 

“I am not!” Laurel said. 

“Okay…” He trailed off. 

“Fine, fine.” Laurel said, giving in. “What do you want me to do?” Conner smiled and Laurel rolled her eyes. After another twenty minutes, Dinah shut down the bar and everyone came upstairs. Dinah and Rose came up first, as Kate and Skylar had to stop and get something. 

“It looks great Conner. You did a really great job.” Dinah said.

“Hey, I helped.” Laurel said. 

“Yes, she did.” Conner said. “Thank you Dinah.” 

“Well, good job both of you.” Rose added. “How are you guys all doing? With everything?” 

Laurel and Dinah looked at each other. Dinah cleared her throat. “We’re okay.” Dinah said. “It’s just hard to see them go.” 

Rose nodded. “Yeah, I feel the same way. It’s weird, I’ve only known Kate a short amount of time, but even in that time she’s changed a lot. I knew Skylar a little better, but I only got close to them once Kate got here.”

“Same with me. I knew Skylar fairly well, but Kate really brought them out. It’s like when the two of them got together they were finally who they were meant to be.” Conner added. 

“I found both of them, in tough places, and I tried to help them the best I could. I think what they needed was each other.” Dinah said. She cleared her throat again.

“And now they’re leaving.” Laurel finished for her. 

“Dinah are you okay? You keep clearing your throat and your voice isn’t the same.” Rose asked. 

Dinah paused for a second before answering. “I’m fine.” She said lightly, glancing at Laurel. “My throat has just been a little sore the past week or so.” 

Laurel got the hint. “We’re getting it checked out tomorrow, so don’t be concerned.”

“Okay, as long as you’re okay.” Rose said. 

“Just, don’t say anything to Kate and Skylar. I don’t want to worry them unless I have to.” Dinah added. 

“Yeah, of course.” Conner said. “This should just be a fun night for them to remember.” Rose nodded. 

Around that time they heard a knock on the door. “It’s us!” They heard Skylar called. Dinah moved to open the door. 

“Hey.” She said. “Come on in.” 

“Hi guys. Thank you all so much for doing this for us.” Kate said. 

“Yes, really, we appreciate it.” Skylar added. 

“Of course. We love you both, and are going to miss you.” Laurel said. 

“Oh, Dinah, I have something for you.” Kate said, holding out a gift bag to Dinah. 

“Kate, that’s so unnecessary.” Dinah said. Kate just held out her hand with the bag until Dinah took it. “What is it?” 

“Well if I told you that would defeat the purpose of wrapping it.” Kate said. Dinah rolled her eyes and smiled. 

She reached into the bag, and pulled out a picture frame. She turned so she could see the picture and immediately started tearing up. “Kate, oh my god.” It was a painting of the bar, clearly done by Kate. “That’s us.” Dinah said quietly. She turned it around so everyone could see. 

“Kate, that’s amazing.” Laurel said. 

“That’s me singing. And Laurel, you’re there watching. And you can see Conner and Rose behind the bar together.” Dinah pointed out. “There’s Skylar and Kate in the corner over there.” 

“Oh my god, if I didn’t already know why New York wanted you before, I definitely do now.” Conner said. 

“Kate, thank you so much. This is amazing, I love it.” Dinah said, a tear rolling down her face. She pulled Kate in for a hug. 

“Of course Dinah. You turned my life around. I owe this to you.” Kate said.

“No, Kate, you could’ve done this all by yourself. You’re amazing.” Dinah said. 

“You are seriously talented.” Rose said. 

“Thanks guys. And Dinah, I just had to find a way to show you how much you’ve done for me. Maybe talent-wise I could’ve gotten all this myself, but I never would have found myself being this happy. I mean, you introduced me to Skylar, the main source of happiness in my life.” Kate said. 

“Really?” Skylar said. “I mean I know that’s how I feel about you but I didn’t realize you felt that way about me too.”

“Yeah. You make me happier than anyone.” Kate said. 

“You’re the best.” Skylar said. They gave Kate a kiss. 

“You two are actually so cute.” Rose said. Dinah nodded. 

“Okay, I wanted to get through this without crying, but that’s already out the window.” Dinah said. Kate laughed. “Anyone want cake?” Everyone nodded. They sat down and asked Kate and Skylar more about their new life in New York. They got a small apartment in the city, and they were going to fly out with everything they had. They didn’t have much stuff and neither of them had a car, so flying was the easiest option. 

“If you guys ever need help with anything, money, or just advice, call me. Please. I can help you both out if you need it.” Dinah offered. 

“Thank you so much, but we are going to be good, right?” Skylar said, looking at Kate. Kate nodded and smiled. “It’ll be kinda fun starting all over again.”

“Yeah, it’s a weird feeling but it’s a little freeing in a way.” Laurel said. “Depending on the circumstances.” She added quickly. Dinah laughed softly. 

“You know what, I’m not even going to ask.” Conner said. 

“With them, some questions are best left unanswered.” Skylar said. Dinah just looked at her and winked. They sat around and talked a little more, trying to get everything they wanted out before Kate and Skylar would be leaving.

“Okay guys, I think we need to go home.” Kate said. “It’s getting late, and I feel like if I stay here any longer I will end up not being able to leave.”

Rose laughed. “Well… I’m not saying that’s the idea, but…” She said, clearly joking. 

“Ah, well, it almost worked.” Skylar said. 

“Yeah, I guess we should let you leave. As much as I don’t want to.” Dinah said. They all gave Kate and Skylar hugs and they left. Conner and Rose followed. When everyone left Dinah immediately put her hand to her neck. 

“Is it bad?” Laurel asked. Dinah shrugged. 

“No, it’s only a little bit worse than earlier today.” She said. As convincing of a liar as she was, the sound of her voice gave it away. It was only slightly hoarser than it normally was, almost unnoticeable to most people. But Laurel could tell just by hearing her speak that it wasn’t as okay as she said it was. 

“It’s a good thing you’re getting it checked tomorrow.” Laurel said. “You don’t sound the same, and I can tell you’re in pain.”

“I should be fine.” Dinah said. Laurel didn’t reply. “Right?” She asked. 

“Oh yes, you’ll be okay.” Laurel answered quickly. “We’ll be okay.” Laurel said quietly, pulling Dinah closer to her. Dinah leaned her head on Laurel’s shoulder. Dinah swallowed painfully. 

“Yeah. We will.” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning Kate and Skylar came into work for their last day. It was honestly a lot sadder than any of them thought it would be. 

“It’s so weird, right?” Laurel whispered to Dinah. “After today, they will just not work here anymore.” 

Dinah nodded. “I know everyone would end up leaving here eventually, but I never thought it would happen this fast.” 

Laurel nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t be leaving you ever.” Dinah smiled

“I know.” She put her hand under Laurel’s chin and turned her head to give her a kiss. “Oh, speaking of this being Kate and Skylar’s last day, I wanted to sing something for them.” 

Laurel’s eyes widened. “What? Dinah, no. please. I know you want to do this but that can’t be good for you.” 

“Laurel, it’s okay, I just have to do this once.” Dinah assured her. 

“You can’t do this to yourself. What if you get hurt more?” Laurel asked. “I’m asking you to just think about how much this could hurt your voice.” 

“It’ll be fine.” Dinah said. Laurel just stared at her. “Okay, yeah, it’s not the best idea. I know that. But I have to do this for them.” Dinah moved to walk onstage but Laurel grabbed her hand. 

“Dinah-” Dinah turned to look at her. “Please be careful. Don’t- don’t do anything reckless.” Laurel begged. Dinah nodded, almost changing her mind and listening to Laurel. But of course, she ended up going onstage anyway.

“Hi everyone, I wanted to dedicate this song to Kate and Skylar. They will be leaving us today, and I want them to know how much they mean to this place.” Dinah said into the mic. The bar clapped, happy to see her back onstage. She sat down to sing, only hesitating for a moment. Laurel almost didn’t notice it. “ _Just yesterday morning, they let me know that you were gone. Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you. I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song, I just can't remember who to send it to._ ” 

Laurel almost couldn’t tell that Dinah wasn’t at a hundred percent. She sounded perfectly normal, but there was something in her eyes that let her know that it hurt just to sing. 

“ _I've seen fire and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end. I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, but I always thought that I'd see you again._ ” Dinah sang. Laurel glanced at Skylar and Kate, who were on the other side of the bar with tears in their eyes. Kate was resting her head on Skylar’s shoulder, clearly trying desperately hard to keep it together. “ _‘Cause I always thought that i'd see you again._ ” Dinah sang the last line quietly, and held out the last chord on the piano. The bar applauded, and Kate and Skylar were cheering especially loud.

Dinah went offstage and the two of them went to give her a hug. Dinah made her way back to Laurel after they got back to work, and Laurel could clearly see that something was wrong. There were tears in her eyes. “Laurel, I shouldn’t have done that.” She rasped out. 

“I know. Come here.” Laurel pulled her in for a hug. “You’ll be okay.” Dinah nodded into her shoulder. 

“We should go get it checked out. My appointment is in an hour anyway, it’s fine if we’re early.” She said, pulling away. 

“Yeah, let’s go.” Laurel said. “Rose, take over for a little while.” Laurel called to her. Rose looked up and saw Dinah’s state and didn’t even ask why. Laurel laced her fingers through Dinah’s and led her to the car. 

It felt like they were in the waiting room forever. It also felt like Dinah’s doctor took forever to get the words out about what was wrong with her. After hearing the news, Dinah squeezed her eyes shut and looked down into her lap. Laurel came up behind her and put her hand on her shoulder, and Dinah placed her hand on top of Laurel’s. The two of them walked back to their car and drove home in some kind of daze. Laurel parked the car and took Dinah back inside. Rose was behind the bar, and everyone else was still working. 

“Hey, how’d it go? Is everything okay?” Rose whispered to them as they came closer. Dinah looked at Laurel then back at Rose and shook her head. 

“No. Everything isn’t okay.” Laurel answered for her. “Dinah has vocal nodules.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry in advance because I feel like I should be. I'm planning on wrapping this fic up pretty soon (but at the rate I've been writing it'll still be a month or two, so don't worry yet). I have plans for what I want, and I promised a happy ending and I'm planning on keeping that promise. Please, as always, let me know what you think, I appreciate all feedback. 
> 
> And for anyone who needs it, you're amazing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise <3


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo. Just wanted to let you guys know that I don't know much about all the medical stuff I wrote in this chapter, I literally researched it while I was writing.

“Wait, what does that mean?” Rose asked. 

“Basically, she’s been straining her voice too much.” Laurel said. 

“I’m not going to be able to sing again for awhile.” Dinah said, very quietly. 

Rose looked at her sadly. “So what happens next? How do you fix this?”

Laurel glanced at Dinah who nodded. “She’s going to need a surgery, which would get rid of them and she’d be able to talk and her throat wouldn’t hurt. They want to do it tomorrow, they said it would be best for her.” 

“So everything would be fine after that?” Rose asked. 

Laurel shook her head. “She might never get her voice back. The chances of that happening are slim, but it’s happened before.” 

“Oh… wow. I don’t really know what to say.” Rose said. 

“Don’t worry, I don’t know what’s going to happen either.” Dinah said hoarsely. “I’m going to go upstairs. Are you good here the rest of the day?” Rose nodded. 

“I’ll come with you.” Laurel said. She walked upstairs beside Dinah and put her hand on her back. Dinah was clearly trying to keep it together until they got back inside. When Laurel shut the door behind them she saw Dinah sit down on the floor with her head against the wall. 

“D…” Laurel started, sitting down next to her. “I’m so sorry.” 

Dinah started laughing, almost hysterically. “Why are you sorry? You’re not the one who put me in this position. I did that all by myself.” Laurel couldn’t tell if Dinah’s tears were from laughing or crying. “I mean, after all the shit we went through, the thing that takes me down is my stupid throat. It could’ve been anything else. But no, it’s the one thing I never even thought of.” 

“Look, this isn’t your fault. And everything should be okay, the doctor said the chances of you losing your voice are-” Laurel began, trying to comfort her. 

“Slim. Right. And the odds are always in our favor, aren’t they?” Dinah said sarcastically. They were silent for a minute after that. “Laurel, I’m sorry.” Dinah whispered. 

“Why are you sorry, D?” Laurel asked. “None of this is your fault. You also have every right to be upset about this.”

“No, I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you sooner and get it checked out. Maybe if we found this out earlier it wouldn’t be as bad.” Dinah said. “I kept telling you I wasn’t worried, because I thought that saying that would make me believe it.” 

Laurel moved closer to Dinah and put her arm around her. “Dinah. I did the same thing. I kept saying everything would be fine because I wanted it to be true.”

“Yeah, but-” 

“We could’ve gone to get it checked out sooner, but we didn’t. That’s just the reality. So we don’t need to think about it, we just need to look forward and figure out what to do next.” Laurel told her. 

“Okay.” Dinah said softly. She put her head on Dinah’s shoulder and closed her eyes. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Laurel responded. “I always will.” 

“You’ll stay here with me?” 

“Of course.”

The next morning, Laurel filled Rose, Conner, Kate, and Skylar in on what was happening just so they would know. Kate and Skylar had three days left before they went to New York, so they deserved to know why Dinah wasn’t around. She wouldn’t be able to talk for at least forty eight hours after the surgery, so when she was able to Kate and Skylar would have less than a day left. 

“She’s going to be okay, right? She has to be?” Kate nervously asked Rose once Dinah and Laurel had left. 

“Laurel said that she risks never getting her voice back, but the chances of that are low.” Rose answered. “I’m worried about them too.” She added, when she saw Kate’s expression.

“Yeah… they’ve been through a lot. But they’ll be okay.” Kate said. “I’m glad I’m not leaving until after the surgery, I want to be there for her.”

“I’m glad you’ll be here too. She might need all the support she can get.” Rose said. 

In the hospital, Laurel was waiting outside her room. At most, the procedure would take an hour, so Laurel was going to sit and wait outside her hospital room until that time. Well, sitting was being generous. She mostly just paced back and forth nervously. She kept replaying the moment before the doctors told her she needed to leave. 

“Laurel, I’m going to be okay.” Dinah had said, holding her hand. 

“Dinah, I’m the one who should be saying that you’re going to be okay.” She gave Dinah’s hand a kiss. “You will be. We’ll get past this.” 

“We always do.” Dinah whispered, and then Laurel was kicked out by the doctors. So, since that happened, Laurel kept checking the time every ten seconds. Or every ten hours. Or minutes. She didn’t know anymore. 

Nine minutes passed. It felt like years to Laurel. She thought back to the night when Conner got hit by the car, before Dinah had come home:

Laurel got herself back to their apartment without any major issues. She was so angry and upset with herself that tears started to burn her eyes. She almost couldn’t get the door unlocked. Once she did, she fell to the floor and sobbed until her throat hurt. She felt like Dinah was going to be so disappointed in her, and Conner and Rose wouldn’t want anything to do with her again. Dinah was probably going to want Laurel out of her life, even if she didn’t know it yet. So Laurel made her own plan. Even after Dinah got home, Laurel knew she still had to get out. As much as she wanted to stay because when Dinah told her things would be okay, she believed her, but she had to go. It was the only way to help Dinah. 

Seventeen minutes. Not bad. Laurel couldn’t believe how wrong she had been that night. There are days that she wished she never left, but in the end their relationship got stronger. Maybe it would grow even more after they got through this. Because they would get through this, right? 

Twenty-one minutes. At least time was moving. But Laurel couldn’t stop her mind from wandering to some dark places. Would Dinah survive the surgery? She knew how unlikely it was for her to die but she still had to ask. If she did, would she be able to sing again? Could her voice just get worse? Would it be the same? Would Dinah be the same? Her voice has been a big part of her life, and a big part of Dinah and Laurel’s relationship. What would happen if she lost that?

Twenty-eight minutes. Dinah was the only thing on Laurel’s mind. She almost called someone just to pass the time and get her to relax, but she didn’t want to worry anyone. The only person she would feel comfortable calling in a situation like this was Dinah. That wasn’t possible, for obvious reasons. It would’ve been fine to call Conner or Rose, they would’ve understood, but everyone was already under a lot of stress. Kate and Skylar were busy packing and finishing up everything they needed to. Sara was somewhere- or when. 

Thirty-two minutes. Thirty-three. Laurel sat down and rubbed her forehead. She closed her eyes. “Dinah, please be okay.” She whispered to herself. Dinah would probably laugh at her right now, everything was going to be fine. It had to be. This wouldn’t be the way it ended, they’ve been through too much. 

Thirty-nine minutes. Laurel couldn’t stop her mind from wandering to what would happen if Dinah didn’t make it. Laurel would never be able to tell her she loved her again. The two of them would never sit on the couch with Lasagna and Oreo again. Laurel would never wake up with Dinah in her arms, never hug her after a long day, never taste her lips again. Even the thought of it made Laurel tear up. She shouldn’t be this scared, but she couldn’t help herself. There was something about Dinah that made Laurel’s mind go to some dark places. Dinah made her crazy, and it was a kind of love Laurel had never felt before her. 

Forty-six. Time was moving. Slowly, but if all went the way it was supposed to Dinah should be okay soon. Should be. 

Will be.

Laurel kept telling herself that, trying to be a little more hopeful. Dinah would be okay. She was going to be fine, everything would go back to normal. Now that she thought about it, they’ve never had a normal. At least not one that lasted. 

Fifty minutes. Fifty minutes and thirty seconds. Maybe it was okay that they never had a normal. They didn’t actually know what normal was. So a life full of weird events is probably better for the two of them. Laurel stood up to start pacing again, but she sat back down. She would get through this sitting down. Fifty-three minutes. About seven minutes left if everything went the way it was supposed to. Which it would. 

Fifty-five. Laurel’s heart sped up. She looked around, and found that no one was around. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, so she leaned back and closed her eyes. 

Fifty-eight. A doctor came out of the room, and Laurel stood up to talk to them. “Is she okay? Is everything okay?” She asked quickly. 

They nodded. “Everything went smoothly. She should be fine in a couple weeks. I gave her instructions on what to do, and if you have any questions please come back.” 

“Can I see her?” Laurel asked. 

“She’s still asleep, but she should be waking up soon. I’ll call you in as soon as she does.” The doctor explained. “Why don’t you go get some water while you wait, maybe it’ll help you calm down.” They suggested. 

Laurel nodded and offered a weak smile. “It’s that obvious?” They nodded and smiled as well. “Okay, thank you so much for everything.”

“I’ll get you as soon as she wakes up. She’s very lucky to have you.” Laurel thanked them again and walked to get a drink of water, which helped her calm down. She would feel a lot better once she actually saw Dinah, but knowing she would be okay was enough to ease her mind. There was still no way of knowing if her voice would go back to the way it was though. They would need to wait a couple weeks to find that out and until Laurel knew that for sure she didn’t know if she would fully relax. 

Laurel didn’t fully process how much time had passed afterwards, but she figured it must have been significant when she saw the doctor wave her in. 

“Just remember, she can’t talk for a full forty-eight hours after the surgery.” They warned her. Laurel nodded and went in to see Dinah, who was laying in the hospital bed and smiling weakly. Laurel rushed over and placed a kiss on her forehead. 

“Hey D.” She said quietly. She brushed some of Dinah’s hair out of her face, and Dinah closed her eyes and smiled. Dinah pointed to a piece of paper and a pen near her and Laurel handed it to her. She sat up a little bit to write on it. 

_Thanks for being here._ She wrote. _I love you, and I want you to know that I’ll be okay. We’ll be okay._

“Love you too, Dinah. I’ll be here for you the whole time.” Laurel sat down next to Dinah on the bed, giving her another kiss on her forehead. They sat in a comfortable silence until the doctors checked up on her, and after a couple hours they let them go home. They warned Dinah that she couldn’t even whisper for the next two days, and that she shouldn’t try to sing for at least another six weeks. 

Laurel drove them home, and when they got there Dinah immediately sat down on the couch and let Lasagna climb into her lap. Laurel joined her, and Oreo laid down next to her. Dinah put her head on Laurel’s shoulder and fell asleep within a few minutes. Laurel pulled her closer and eventually dozed off as well.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next twenty-four hours passed quickly for everyone else, but slowly for Laurel and Dinah. Rose and Conner came over to bring them food, which Laurel was grateful for because that meant she wouldn’t have to cook. When she offered to cook instead of Dinah, Dinah aggressively wrote down the reasons why that was a terrible idea, trying as hard as she could not to laugh and damage her voice. 

“How’s she doing?” Conner asked Laurel while Rose was sitting with Dinah. 

“Pretty good so far. The doctor said that the surgery went well and there weren’t any complications, so that’s pretty good.” Laurel replied. “The scary thing is, we won’t know if she can sing again for at least another few weeks.” 

“That must be hard for her. I have faith though, she’ll be okay.” Laurel smiled and nodded in agreement. “How are you doing with everything?” 

“Oh… you know.” Laurel answered. Conner rolled his eyes. “Okay, I’m not great. But you knew that already.” Conner nodded. “I just get so worried about her, it’s something I haven’t felt for anyone since I met her. If something happened to her… I don’t know what I would do.”

“She’s going to be okay. Even if she can never sing again, she’ll still be here.” Conner assured her.

“Yeah, I know. Thank you.” Laurel said. She looked over to where Dinah and Rose were and caught her eye. Dinah winked at her and grinned, then went back to writing something to Rose. Laurel truly adored her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I had this chapter up pretty fast, so i don't really know if that will become the new normal or if I will take another two week hiatus. No one knows at this point, honestly. Let me know what you think, and here's your reminder (if you need it) that you're awesome and you should keep being you


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone even read these?

Dinah’s forty-eight hours of complete vocal rest were finally up. Laurel was sitting at the foot of their bed next to her. 

“You ready to do this?” Laurel asked. Dinah nodded, but still didn’t say anything. “What is it?” Laurel asked. Dinah shrugged and opened her mouth, but closed it again. She wrote something down. 

_What do I say?_ She wrote. Laurel looked at her with her eyebrows raised.

“That’s your only concern?” Dinah nodded. “Sweetheart, I love you, but that is the worst reason.” Laurel said. Dinah smiled and suppressed a laugh. She nodded, indicating she was ready. 

“Hi Laurel.” She said softly. Her voice sounded the same. A little hoarse, but that was probably just from it not being used. 

“Hey D.” Laurel put her hand under her chin and gave her a kiss. “How do you feel?” 

“I’m feeling pretty good.” Dinah said. “I think I’ll be okay.” 

“I think so too.” Laurel replied. “So, what now?” 

“I have to gradually increase how often I use my voice. I should do that over the next two weeks, and after about six weeks I can try singing again.” Dinah said. 

“Okay, good. We can do this.” Laurel said. “This shouldn’t be too bad.”

Dinah nodded. “But now, we have to say goodbye to Kate and Skylar.” She said quietly and sadly. 

Laurel sighed. “I can’t believe it’s their last day today. Want me to invite them up? We can just all be together one more time.” Laurel asked. “And before you ask, Conner and Rose told them that you were on vocal rest, but didn’t go into detail. They know you can’t talk much but they aren’t too worried.” 

“Good.” Dinah said. “Thank you.”

“Of course. I’ll go call them.” After about half an hour, the four of them arrived at Dinah and Laurel’s apartment. Kate and Skylar were completely packed, and they were leaving tonight. Everyone was a lot sadder than they thought they would be. 

“I can’t believe this. Even when I knew I was going to New York with Kate, it still felt so far away.” Skylar said. “I’m not ready to leave this place behind.” 

“Me too.” Kate said. “This is my dream and I still wish I could stay.” 

Conner smiled. “If I could be honest, I’d love to convince you guys to stay but I can’t hold you guys back.” 

“I watched the two of you meet. Kate, I watched you work to become an artist, and Skylar, I watched you allow yourself to get close to people. In the short amount of time I’ve known the two of you, you both have changed a lot.” Dinah said, trying not to say too much at once. 

“I’ll miss you both a lot.” Rose said. She felt a smile grow on her face as she recalled a memory of meeting Kate. “Okay, I have to tell you all about the first time I met Kate.” 

“Oh no.” Kate said, but she was smiling as well.

“It was her first day, and I was just passing by and asking her how her first day was. She had just met Skylar for the first time, and was blushing like crazy.” 

“It was not that obvious!” Kate said in defense. Everyone looked around, clearly disagreeing. Kate sighed. 

“Yes. It was.” Dinah added quietly. 

“Anyway, I asked if they were flirting with her, and she said that she hoped they were. Which was true, of course.” Rose finished. 

“That worked out well.” Laurel said. “I remember when Dinah came home telling me she found Skylar. It was before we were together, so we were walking on eggshells around each other. Dinah came home late after work, and because I was trying desperately hard to keep my feelings in check, instead of just asking her about it like a normal person I causally hinted at it during dinner.” Laurel said.

“Yeah, ‘casually.’” Dinah said sarcastically.

“Oh, let’s be real, you had no idea.” Dinah rolled her eyes, but smiled. “So she came home and I asked her about it, and she told me about someone they met outside the bar that ran away from home. I asked if she hired them, and she said that they were too young. Dinah waited until the day Skylar turned eighteen to hire them, and I also remembered that on that day Dinah was so excited.” 

“Aw, really?” Skylar asked. Dinah nodded. “That’s really sweet.” 

“I’ll miss you guys a lot. I can’t even tell you.” Kate said. They all continued to talk about the last few months and trade stories about everything in their lives. After some time passed, Kate checked her watch. “Oh, damn. We have to leave for the airport in twenty minutes.”

“That soon?” Rose asked. “Don’t you need to go back for your stuff?”

“We brought the stuff we’re flying with here so that our last moments in Star City will be with you guys.” Skylar said, putting their arm around Kate’s shoulders and giving her a kiss on the side of her head. “We couldn’t just go back to our old apartment after leaving here.” 

“I’m honestly nervous about going. I’m excited, don’t get me wrong, but I’m starting a career as a young artist. That’s going to be hard.” Kate told them.

“Yeah, me too. I don’t even know what I’m going to do when I get there, I’ve only ever worked here.” Skylar added.

“No matter what happens, we’re proud of you two.” Laurel assured them. 

“You guys better come back for us when Kate’s all famous.” Conner said. “Otherwise I’ll be very upset.”

“Of course.” Kate said. “If I even make it.” 

“You’ll make it.” Dinah said surely. 

“I don’t doubt it either.” Rose said. “You got this.” 

“Thanks guys.” Kate replied. 

“For everything.” Skylar added on. “Really, I have to say it one last time.” 

“I know. And of course. I’d really do anything for any of you.” Dinah said. That was the last thing she said before they left. The rest of the night she communicated through tearful hugs. Kate and Skylar gave everyone a last goodbye, telling each of them how much they would all miss each other. Dinah noticed Skylar whisper something to Laurel, but forgot about it before she could bring it up. 

“Okay. Goodbye guys.” Kate said, tears streaming down her face. “This is really happening.” 

“We’ll see you guys again, okay?” Skylar assured them. Everyone nodded, and before anything else could happen, Kate and Skylar were gone. 

Conner spoke up first. “It’s going to be a weird couple of days, isn’t it?” He asked. 

“Yeah, it will be. I can’t believe they’re really gone.” Laurel said. “But it’s not like we’ll never see them again.” She added after a moment. 

Rose nodded. “Of course.” 

“We should get going too, it’s getting a little late.” Conner said. 

“Goodbye guys. Thanks for everything, by the way.” Dinah said. Conner and Rose nodded and smiled. She went upstairs to go to bed and Laurel showed them out. 

“Seriously, thank you.” Laurel added once Dinah was out of earshot. “If you can’t tell I’ve been losing it a little worrying about her.” 

“I totally get it. When Conner was in the hospital, and even after he left, I was worried about him all the time.” Rose said. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, I love you.” Rose said. “I’m always going to be worried about you.” 

“That makes sense. I love you too.” Conner said. “And Laurel, we have your back if you need us. You and Dinah.” 

“Thank you. Again.” Laurel said. “Okay, I need to get some rest. Goodnight guys.” The two of them left and Laurel went upstairs to Dinah. “How are you feeling D?” Laurel asked, sitting down next to her. 

Dinah shrugged. “My voice feels okay. Although the rest of me… it’s just so sad, Laurel. I’m going to miss them. And I know they’ll be okay in New York and I know they’ll be happy…” Dinah trailed off. 

“Yeah, I get it. It’s just the fact that they’re leaving.” Laurel finished for her. 

“At least I still have you.” Dinah said, leaning on Laurel’s shoulder. 

“That’s true. You always will.” The two of them fell asleep soon after. 

In the morning, Laurel woke up before Dinah and slowly climbed out of bed. She managed not to wake Dinah, she only stirred slightly. Laurel got dressed and went downstairs, making coffee for her and some special tea for Dinah that was supposed to help her throat. While making their drinks, she heard movement in the hallway and went to check it out. There was a man and a woman arguing with each other. That was unusual because Dinah and Laurel were the only people who lived above the bar. Laurel continued to watch what was happening. 

“Go away. And don’t come because I don’t want to see you ever again.” The woman said, turning to leave. The man grabbed her arm. 

“I didn’t say you could leave.” He said slowly. That’s when Laurel intervened. She stepped into the hall and put herself between the man and the woman. 

“I suggest you leave.” Laurel said. He didn’t move. “Right now. That would be best.”

“This is none of your concern, and honestly there’s nothing you could do right now that could stop me.” He warned. Laurel didn’t flinch. 

“It is my concern because you are clearly harassing this woman, and better yet it’s right outside my door.” Laurel grabbed his arm and twisted it away from the other woman. Laurel signaled behind her back for her to move away. She pulled a small knife out, practically out of thin air, and held it against his side. “Now, this is pressing in a very convenient place, understand?” Laurel said, her voice lowered. 

“You really think that’s going to-” He gasped as Laurel pressed slightly harder, but still not enough to do any harm. 

“Don’t interrupt." Laurel said coolly. “As I was saying, this is in the perfect spot for you to slowly bleed out if I move this knife ever so slightly. I don’t want to have to do that. Do you want that to happen?” The man shook his head, his confidence leaving quickly. “Then I think you should leave. And if you bother this woman again, I will find you. You don’t want to test me.” Laurel removed the knife and tucked it back into wherever it came from. 

“Thank you.” The woman said quietly. 

“Of course. Are you okay?” Laurel asked. 

“Yeah… it’s about time I got rid of him. He’s never been good to me.” She said. “I’m Claire, by the way.” 

“Laurel. So what are you doing up here? Dinah and I are the only ones that live here, and the bar is closed this early.” Laurel asked. 

“I don’t really know. My boyfriend, well, now ex-boyfriend, brought me up here and I don’t know why. He said he wanted to ‘have some fun’ and I said no, and I mean you met him.” Claire said. 

Laurel nodded. “I’ve known a lot of guys like him. I hope you’re okay, if you ever need anything else, or he tries to come near you again, stop by the bar. My girlfriend, Dinah, is down there a lot but you can talk to any of the wait staff. They’ll help you out.” 

“Thank you, again. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been here.” Claire said. 

“Anytime. Are you sure you’re okay, do you need anything else?” Laurel asked. Claire shook her head. “Okay, if you do, you know where to find me.” Claire nodded and then left. Laurel went back inside. Dinah was sitting at the table. 

“Thanks for my tea.” Dinah said smiling. “What was going on out there?” 

“Some dude being a jerk to a woman. I made him back off, and made sure she was okay. Her name is Claire, and I told her to stop by the bar if she ever needs any help with him again.” Laurel explained. 

“You’re so good.” Dinah responded. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Laurel sat down next to her and drank her coffee. “How do you feel this morning?” 

“Not bad. Throat wise.” Dinah said. Laurel nodded. “And as for Kate and Skylar, I think I’ll be okay. We’ll see them again, and they’re happy.” DInah paused. “What about you?” 

“Same thing, pretty much. I miss them, and I will continue to miss them as time goes on, but I’ll get used to it.” Laurel replied. At that moment, their apartment door flung open and Sara barged in. 

“Take this.” She put a pill down on the table in front of Dinah.

“Hi Sara, how are you?” Dinah said, before doing anything. 

“You know, you could just call, like a normal person. Maybe knock.” Laurel added, sipping her coffee slowly. 

“Nothing about our relationship is normal.” Sara said. “Anyway, this pill should speed up the healing for your vocal chords.” 

Dinah’s eyes widened. “Really? By how much?” 

“You should be back to normal in about a week. Assuming the surgery went well.” Sara explained. 

Dinah nodded and opened her mouth. “Wait.” She paused. “Why are you doing this?”

“It was a time anomaly, had to come here and fix it.” Sara said. “That, or I just didn’t want you two to suffer any more than you already have about this.” She paused. “Maybe it was a little bit of both.”

“And you’re sure this works?” Laurel asked. Sara nodded. Laurel looked at Dinah, who shrugged and took the pill. 

“Thanks Sara. It’s always nice to see you.” Dinah said. 

“Anytime. I’ll probably drop in again, but don’t hold your breath. Things have been a little crazy.” With that Sara opened a portal and left. 

“I never know what she’s up to.” Laurel said, shaking her head. 

Dinah smiled. “Yeah, you never do anything that unexpected…” She trailed off. 

Laurel dramatically put her hand on her chest. “Uncalled for, Drake.” Dinah rolled her eyes and laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't slept in such a long time, I think it's starting to catch up with me. I also don't actually know what the hell is going on (in this fic and otherwise), so if someone gets shot or something (in the fic) it's not my fault. Also everything has been a little bit rough lately so don't expect any consistency from me, sorry about that. But don't worry I won't abandon y'all no matter what. 
> 
> Let's move on. Let me know what you think, I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful day.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this is "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5, but the version I used was with Travis Atreo and Emily Bett Rickards (felicity smoak, of course) so if you haven't heard it, please listen to it, it is literally one of the best things left in this world

“Tomorrow’s the day, Dinah!” Laurel exclaimed. She was of course referring to Dinah’s vocal rest. Since Sara gave her that pill that sped up her healing, her vocal rest was over quicker. “How are you feeling?” 

Dinah smiled widely. “I’m actually really excited. This week has been a little rough, being able to sing again will be nice. I have faith that I got my voice back.” 

Laurel nodded. “It has been a little sad around here without Skylar and Kate. Hearing your voice again will be really nice.” Laurel paused. “Well, it’s always nice to hear you sing, but like, it’ll be nicer than usual, you know?” 

Dinah rolled her eyes affectionately. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” At that moment, Lasagna jumped on top of the table where they were sitting. She looked Dinah in the eye, and then very deliberately knocked her water glass over. “You’re lucky that was empty.” Dinah said to the cat. 

“I think she’s mad we haven’t been paying enough attention to her.” Laurel speculated. “I mean, there has been a lot going on.” 

“Sorry baby.” Dinah said, petting Lasagna’s head. Oreo jumped on the table next to her. “You too, Oreo.” 

“You two are spoiled, you don’t get to complain.” Laurel said, but she kissed the top of Oreo’s head. 

Dinah laughed as the two of them simultaneously jumped off the table. “I swear, they are the strangest cats.”

“I mean, their only influence is us, so… I can’t really blame them.” 

“Fair point.” 

Later that day, the two of them were trying to figure out their dinner. “I’m going to run to the store and pick some stuff up, do you need anything?” Laurel asked. 

“Thanks, but I think I’m good.” Laurel nodded and left. She stopped downstairs at the bar to talk to Conner. 

“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” Conner asked when Laurel walked up to him. 

“What are you talking about?” Laurel asked.

“Your feeling that something terrible is going to happen. It’s been all over your face since Dinah’s surgery.” Conner explained. 

“Is it that obvious?” Laurel groaned. Conner nodded. “Do you think Dinah noticed?” 

“No, I think she’s too consumed with her own fears.” Conner said. “What’s going on? Why did it get worse?” 

Laurel sighed. “Skylar and Kate just left. While it’s really sad for us, it’s a great thing for them. Dinah is recovering really well and she will probably get her voice back. You and Rose are doing great. Dinah and I are doing great. As of right now nothing bad is going on. I’m trying not to get used to it because I know something bad is going to happen soon.” 

“Laurel…” Conner started. “You should let yourself be happy. I will never understand the stuff you’ve been through, but I’m going to assume that the reason you have trouble just enjoying the moment is because of what has happened to you. You’re afraid of getting used to how well things are going because, from what I know about you, things haven’t gone well this long for you before.” 

Laurel nodded. “You’re right, and I know that.” She sighed. :It’s just going to take awhile to accept that this could be my new normal.” 

“You can do it.” Conner assured her. 

“Thanks Conner. Okay, I have to run out, but this helped.” Laurel was actually being honest. Conner was probably right, these feelings were just left over from when she used to be in constant danger. Since that wasn’t the case anymore, she didn’t know how to just enjoy it. She had to ask Dinah how she was always so zen, maybe that could help her out. Although, that would mean Laurel would have to admit that she’s been in constant fear for the last few months and that wasn’t exactly something she wanted to do. 

After about an hour, Laurel came back and saw some woman talking to Dinah at the bar. Upon closer inspection, Laurel realized that it was Claire, the woman she defended earlier in the week. 

“Claire? What are you doing here?” Laurel asked as she walked over to them.

“I was actually just about to offer her a job.” Dinah explained. 

“Yeah, I came here because I had nowhere else to go. My ex-boyfriend managed to get me fired from my job, and he even got me evicted. I don’t know how he did that but I can’t fight back and I have no money. You told me to come here if I needed help… and I really had nowhere else to go. I’m sorry that I just-” 

Laurel held up a hand to stop her. “You don’t have to apologize. We’re happy to help you out any way we can.” 

Dinah nodded. “I was looking to hire someone else anyway. It’ll be perfect.” 

“Thank you both so much.” Claire said. “You have no idea how much this means to me. 

“Of course. Do you have a place to stay tonight?” Laurel asked. 

“Actually, Dinah and I were just discussing that.” Claire said, looking to Dinah. 

“Yeah, I’m going to loan her some money so that she can rent an apartment for now, and part of her paycheck will go to me so she can pay me back. It’s a lot easier and less expensive than getting a loan out of the bank because I’m not going to make her pay interest.” Dinah explained. “Trust me, it’s the least I can do. I have a soft spot for people in situations like yours.” 

“I hope one day I can make it up to you. The both of you. I mean, Laurel probably saved my life and now Dinah, you are the reason I’m not sleeping in my car tonight.” Claire thanked them again and Dinah began to show her how everything was going to work. Laurel went upstairs to put the groceries away, and came back after she had done so. She had only been gone ten minutes but Claire seemed to have relaxed a lot in that time. 

Dinah came back to the bar after showing her what to do. “Do you know what you just did Laurel?” Dinah asked her. 

“What?” 

“You just found your first stray.” Dinah replied, smiling. 

Laurel grinned. “I did, didn’t I?” Dinah nodded. “I understand why you do it so often. It feels good.” 

“See? It’s fun.” Dinah laughed. A few minutes passed, and Rose came into work. She noticed Claire, and then a panicked look came over her face. She rushed over to Dinah and Laurel. 

“What is she doing here?” Rose asked, visibly concerned. 

Dinah and Laurel glanced at each other, confused. “I just hired her, she's a new waitress. What’s going on? Do you know her?” 

Rose started to nervously drum her fingers on the bar. “Is her name Claire?” Dinah nodded. “She used to make me feel miserable in high school. I was hoping I’d never have to see her again.” 

“Oh god…” Laurel started. “I mean… I think she’s changed. From what I’ve seen of her she’s really nice and in a rough place.” 

Rose nodded and took a deep breath. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll give her a chance, everyone changes after high school.” She put her head in her hands. “But giving her another chance means I have to talk to her, and that requires a level of emotional maturity I do not have.” 

Dinah laughed. “Understandable. Whenever you’re ready. And if you want me to, I can move her days around so that you aren’t working at the same time.” 

“Thank you, but it’s probably better not to prolong it.” Rose said. “I can do this.” She took a deep breath, but stayed in the same place. “But maybe not right this minute.” Dinah and Laurel nodded. For the next hour or so, Rose and Claire managed to stay on opposite sides of the bar and Claire didn’t seem to notice her. 

That only worked for a short amount of time. At the end of Rose’s shift, she went to get her bag, but Claire was standing next to it talking to Dinah. Rose straightened her shoulders and mentally prepared herself. Before she could make the first move, Claire turned around and noticed her. 

“Rose!?” Claire exclaimed. “Oh my god, I… I don’t really know what to say to you.”

“Yeah… Can we talk outside for a minute? I think we need to clear the air.” Rose offered. Claire nodded and the two of them went outside. 

“Okay, so I guess I should start. I’m really sorry for everything that I put you through back in high school. I wish I could say that I was going through something, but in reality I think I was just a bitch.” Claire began. “I wish I could go back and change everything because you really did not deserve that. I shouldn’t have treated you that way, and I hope you know that.” 

“Claire, you were awful to me. I think you need to know that. A lot of my insecurities come from the things you and your friends did to me.” Rose paused for a second. “I’m willing to give you another chance though. Things have been looking up for me lately, and I can tell you feel awful about it.” 

“I really didn’t realize how much of an effect I had on you. I guess I just thought it was fun, and I couldn’t see things from your point of view.” Claire laughed dryly. “Although I guess these past few months have just been karma for all that.”

“Yeah, from what I’ve heard things haven’t been great for you. But even after all of that stuff in high school I wouldn’t have wished that on you.” Rose said. 

Claire looked down at her feet. “I wish I could really tell you how awful I feel. There’s no words for how much I regret all that.” 

“Thank you. I’ll be honest with you, there were days that I dreamed of telling you off. These past couple of years I was happy to just write you off as a high school mean girl, but I think it’s a good thing that we met again.” Rose told her.

“I’m glad you don’t hate me. You’re a better person than I am, I don’t think I would be able to do that.” 

Rose smiled. “It’s taken some time for me to get here, but I’m glad you think so.” 

Claire managed a smile as well. “I hope you’ll see that I’ve changed. I’m not that person anymore.” 

“From what Laurel and Dinah have told me, I think I will.” Rose told her. 

“Good. Thank you for hearing me.” Claire said. 

“Of course, You’ll learn pretty quickly that anyone who works for Dinah is practically family, there’s no way I wouldn’t. She and Laurel are great judges of character.” Rose said. The two of them walked back inside, and Rose was noticeably less anxious. 

“All good?” Dinah asked her. 

“Yeah, I think we’ll be okay. I’m actually happy I got to see her again.” Rose said. 

“I’m glad.” Dinah replied. “It’s going to be weird having someone new here. It feels like just yesterday Kate was starting here.” 

Rose nodded. “I agree, it doesn’t seem like any time has passed at all. But at the same time, we’ve all changed so much.”

“Yeah, it really doesn’t make sense.” 

“Does anything?” Rose said. Dinah laughed.

“No, nothing does. I guess that’s kind of the whole point.” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you ready to do this?” Laurel asked. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait any longer?” 

“I mean, Sara said my voice should be fully healed by now. What’s the point in waiting?” Dinah said. “If my voice hasn’t come back by now it never will.”

“Okay. Just, be careful.” Laurel said. Dinah nodded and gave her a small smile. 

“She’ll be fine, Laurel.” Conner said, coming up next to her. “And if not, you’ll be there for her.” 

“Yeah, I hope so.” Laurel sighed. She watched Dinah sit down at the piano like it had only been a couple days since she’s performed. She put her fingers over the keys and took a deep breath. 

“ _Sunday morning, rain is falling._ ” Dinah sang out, her voice clear as day. Dinah broke out into a grin and closed her eyes. “ _Steal some covers, share some skin. Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable, you twist to fit the mold that I am in._ ” Laurel, Rose, and Conner cheered from the back of the bar. 

“Told you.” Conner whispered to Laurel. She just smiled.

“ _That may be all I need. In darkness she is all I see. Come and rest your bones with me. Driving slow on Sunday morning, and I never want to leave_ ” She played through the rest of the song without any issues, and Laurel managed not to cry. “ _Driving slow on Sunday morning, and I never want to leave._ ” She finished. Before Dinah even opened her eyes, Laurel ran onstage. Dinah turned around and stood up with tears in her eyes. Laurel pulled her in for a long kiss. 

“You did it, Dinah.” Laurel whispered. “I’m so proud of you.” Laurel pulled her in for a hug. 

“Thank you.” Dinah said, relaxing into her arms. Dinah pulled away and gave Laurel another kiss. “I knew we’d be okay.” Laurel took her hand and they left the stage, unaware that the whole bar had been watching them. 

“Amazing, Dinah. I’m so happy you’re okay.” Rose said. 

“Me too.” Conner added. 

“Dinah, I had no idea you could sing.” Claire said, walking up to them. “Granted, I’ve only been here for two days, but that surprised me. You’re really good.”

“Thanks, and you’ll get used to hearing me sing. I used to do it all the time, but…” Dinah trailed off. “It got a little complicated.” 

“I look forward to it.” Rose and Conner got back to work, but Claire stayed behind and watched them walk away. 

“What is it?” Dinah asked, reading the look on her face. 

“Conner. He’s been kind of… cold? I see him with Rose and you guys and he seems really nice but he doesn’t seem to want anything to do with me.” Claire confessed. “And that’s probably my fault.” 

Dinah and Laurel glanced at each other. Laurel spoke up first. “I’m going to assume that it’s because of your history with Rose. While she seems to have given you a second chance, I think it will take Conner longer to get there.” 

“Even before they were dating Conner always looked out for Rose. I remember her telling me that there was a guy in here that was freaking her out and he immediately took it upon himself to make sure she was safe.” Dinah explained. “He’ll come around. You just have to prove that you aren’t that person anymore.” 

Claire nodded. “I can try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had fun writing this chapter, although I may or may not have started crying at one point, bonus points if you can guess which part. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think, and enjoy the happiness while it lasts!


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly fluff today, not much happens. Pretty much just a filler chapter

Two days after Dinah got her voice back, she got a call from Kate while sitting on the couch with Laurel. 

“Kate, oh my god, how’s New York?” Dinah asked excitedly. She put her on speaker so that Laurel could hear. 

“ _It’s really great. I love Star City, but I think I belong here. Also, the people at my job love me, so far everything is going really well._ ” Kate replied. “ _Is Laurel with you by any chance? I wanted to talk to the both of you._ ” 

“I’m here, Kate.” Laurel said. 

“What’s up?” Dinah asked.

“ _Perfect. Okay, so Skylar’s birthday is coming up in about a month, and I want to do something really nice for them since they moved out here with me._ ” Kate explained. “ _So, I have an idea on like, a basic gift for them, but to make it special I need something from Maeve and since I can’t exactly contact her…_ ” 

“And that’s where we come in.” Laurel finished. 

“ _Exactly. I feel bad asking because the two of you have already done so much for us but-_ ”

“Don’t worry, we got you Kate.” Dinah assured her. “What do you need us to do?” 

“ _I need you to go find Maeve and ask her to be in a video I’m making for Skylar. All she needs to do is talk about how much Skylar means to her and all that. I can text you more details if you need._ ” Kate explained. “ _I can just tell Skylar is missing Maeve more than usual after seeing her again, so I wanted to give them something special because it’s not like they can talk to her._ ” 

“Of course. I think we should be able to manage that without too much trouble.” Dinah said. “Although we will need proof that we are friends of Skylar’s and not just two random women who are talking to her.” 

Laurel nodded. “Yes, that would be helpful.” 

“ _True. You could show Maeve the picture we all took before we left, I think that should be good. Skylar also said that they told her about us all so you guys should be okay with that._ ” Kate said. “ _I’ve got to go now though, Skylar should be home in a minute. Are you guys good with everything?_ ” 

“I think we’re okay. Bye Kate.” Laurel said. 

“We miss you guys.” Dinah added. 

“ _We miss you too._ ” Kate hung up. Laurel and Dinah looked at each other. 

“Well, now we have something to do this weekend.” Dinah said.

“It'll be fun. It’s not the same as the old days, but it’s still nice to reminisce.” Laurel responded.

Dinah laughed. “Yeah, true. And we probably won’t be a breath away from dying every single second.” 

“Probably?” 

“You can never be too careful.” Dinah replied. She stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

Laurel got up and followed. “Sometimes, D, you say things that are mildly concerning.” She wrapped her arms around Dinah’s waist. “I’m glad you aren’t on the verge of dying anymore.”

Dinah gave her a kiss. “ _We_. I’m glad we aren’t on the verge of dying anymore.” Dinah stressed. 

“Sure.” Laurel said. 

“Laurel. Be glad you’re safe too.” Dinah said. She put her arms over Laurel’s shoulders. “You deserve this too.” Dinah rested her forehead on her’s. 

Laurel gave her a small smile. “Okay.” She gave Dinah another kiss. “I believe you.” 

“Good.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinah and Laurel left to go find Maeve that weekend. Before they left, Dinah was making sure that Rose was good with running the bar. 

“How are things with Claire?” She asked Rose quietly. “Is everything okay between the two of you?” 

“For the most part. It’s been a little awkward, but I think once we give it some time we should be okay.” Rose replied. “It was a long time ago, and we’ve both changed.” 

“As long as you’re alright. And what about Conner? How does he feel?” Dinah asked. 

Rose sighed. “He’s… trying to be nice to Claire. I told him that he needs to give her a chance, and he will. Honestly, I think he was more against her being here than I was, just from what I’ve told him.” She paused. “Don’t worry, though. I think they’ll get along in a little while, Claire is really trying.” 

“Good. I’m sure everything will be fine soon.” Dinah said. “Anyway, I’m off to track down Skylar’s sister who I’ve never met before.” 

“I think my life has gotten so much weirder since I started working here.”

“Really? This has been the most normal my life has been.” Dinah said. Rose laughed. 

“Good luck.” Dinah smiled and waved as she walked out to the car where Laurel was waiting. “Ready?” 

“Yup. I’ll figure out a good way to get her alone while you drive.” Laurel said. 

“Efficient.” Dinah said. “I hope we’re able to do this for Skylar.”

“Me too.” While they drove Laurel told Dinah the exact time they would be able to find Maeve. “We have a really short window, but I think we can manage. Maeve’s parents should be out at work most of the day, but Maeve is at friends house for a birthday party for most of that time. There’s only twenty minutes between the time Maeve gets home and her parents come back.” 

“That should be enough time if we get this right.” Dinah said. “How exactly did you find that out?” 

“I found the evite in Maeve’s inbox.” Laurel replied quickly. 

“Okay Felicity.” Dinah said, laughing. 

“I wish. How far away are we from Maeve’s house?” Laurel asked. 

Dinah checked the time. “About fifteen minutes. Should we be okay?” 

Laurel nodded. “That would make us about five minutes early. It’s perfect. We explain why we are there, get the video, we get out, Maeve’s parents have no idea. It might be a close call, but we can manage.” She said intensely. 

Dinah rolled her eyes and smiled. “You do realize that this isn’t life and death, right?” 

“Just let me have my fun.” Laurel replied. Dinah laughed. The remainder of the car ride was pretty quiet, they had their plan and all they had to do was wait. 

“Okay, we just need to watch for Maeve to come back. You said we should have about five minutes?” Dinah asked. 

Laurel nodded and put her laptop away. “Give or take.” Dinah nodded and they sat back and watched.

“I see her!” Dinah said suddenly. The two of them got out of the car after they saw Maeve go inside. “You want to explain?”

“Sure.” Laurel replied. She knocked on the door. Maeve looked through the window and then opened it slightly. “Hi, we’re friends of Skylar.” Laurel said. Maeve’s eyes lit up, but she kept the rest of her face neutral.

“And what proof do you have of that?” Maeve said. 

“Here.” Dinah handed her the picture Kate told them to use. “This is us a couple weeks ago, before Skylar went to New York with Kate.” 

“Okay.” Maeve said after a few moments. “I’m assuming you’re here for a reason, so come in. But you have to be quick.” 

“Thank you. Anyway, Kate sent us here for Skylar’s birthday. She wants us to record a video of you talking about how much you love Skylar, if you’re okay with that.” Laurel explained. “They miss you.” 

“I miss them too. Are they happy in New York?” Maeve asked. “Also I would love to do that for them, I think they will really like it.” 

“Yeah, from what I have heard both Kate and Skylar are doing great.” Dinah said. “We only have fifteen minutes until your parents get home, are you ready or do you need a minute to prepare?” 

“I’m good, get ready.” Maeve said. Dinah took out the camera to take the video. “Happy birthday Skylar! I really miss you, and I hope that one day soon I’ll see you again. I have so many great memories of you and I think you are one of the best people in the world.” Maeve began, and finished after a couple minutes. 

“That was perfect. Skylar is going to love it.” Laurel said. “Thank you for doing this for them, it will make her so happy.” 

“I’m glad. Also, I wrote a letter that I was trying to figure out how to send, but I couldn’t think of anything. Do you think you could send it to them?” Maeve asked. 

“Of course we can do that for you. We can get Skylar’s reply back as well, don’t worry.” Laurel said. Maeve smiled and ran into her room to grab the letter.

“Here.” Maeve handed the envelope to Laurel. “You guys need to go now. My parents will be here any minute.” 

“Okay. Thanks again, Maeve. We’ll get back to when Skylar writes back.” Dinah said. She and Laurel walked out and got back into their car. 

“Mission accomplished.” Laurel said once Dinah started driving. 

“Yup. I’m proud of us.” Dinah replied. “Although that was definitely not the hardest mission.” 

“True. Still required some work. But, no near death experiences, so that’s a plus.” Laurel added.

Dinah grinned. “Not yet, at least.” Laurel’s eyes widened and she looked at Dinah. “The mission’s not over.”

“You had to say that, didn’t you?” Dinah nodded. Laurel laughed and rolled her eyes. “Fine. If you jinxed us…” She trailed off. 

“Yeah, yeah, all my fault.” Dinah said. She quickly glanced at Laurel who was shaking her head and smiling. 

They managed to get home without any near death experiences, which made them both happy. When they got back Rose was in the middle of closing down the bar with Conner. 

“Hey! How’d it go?” She asked when she saw them come in. 

“Really well, Maeve is a really good kid and we were able to get in and out without any issues.” Laurel answered. 

“She really cares about Skylar, it’s so cute.” Dinah added. “How did things go today?” 

“Smooth. It was pretty slow, not much happened. Although, someone was asking where you were so that they could hear you sing again.” Rose answered. 

“That’s nice to hear.” Dinah said. 

“Even better now that you can actually sing.” Laurel said. 

“Right? I forgot how much I missed that.” Dinah said. “I wonder how many new customers have no idea I can sing. Weird.” 

“Oh, Dinah, I actually had a question about our inventory, can you help me out?” Rose asked. 

“Sure. What’s up?” Dinah said, walking to the back room with Rose, leaving Conner and Laurel alone in the main part of the bar. 

“What are you doing?” Laurel asked flatly. Conner raised his eyebrows. 

“Right now?” Laurel rolled her eyes. 

“You know what I mean. What’s up with you being cold to Claire? I get you’re just protective over Rose, I’m like that too, but this seems different.” Laurel explained. “It’s not really like you.” 

“Okay, yeah. I have been a little rude to her. But can you really blame me? Claire made Rose miserable in high school. I know Rose said that she’s changed, and I trust her on that, but it’s just…” Conner paused and lowered his voice. “I have seen Rose in a few tough places. And the thought of her feeling like that scares me. Claire really did a number on her, and I saw how bad the aftermath was, years later. I know it wasn’t entirely Claire’s fault, but I want to be careful.” 

Laurel nodded. “You want to stop her from getting hurt again.” 

“Exactly. I know I can’t completely control that, but if Claire knows that I wouldn’t let her hurt Rose again, maybe that would make sure she has really changed.” Conner sighed. “I don’t know. I just love her so much. If she gets hurt…” 

“You don’t know what you would do.” Laurel finished for him. “I understand what you’re saying, it makes perfect sense.” 

“Thank you. I want to give her a chance, I really do. But I don’t know if I can trust her.” Conner said. 

“Give her time. She’ll prove herself to you.” Laurel said. “And also, she’s been through a lot. I saw some of what her ex-boyfriend was like, but I don’t know the extent of his abuse. I don’t think she would want to make someone else feel awful again.” 

“I know you’re right. I’ll ease up on her. If I’m being honest, I actually think she would be a really nice person if I got to know her.” Conner admitted. 

Laurel smiled. “See? You’re getting there already.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have such a good idea for what I want to do in the future but it needs some set up, so there will be a few more chapters like this where not too much happens but they are very important
> 
> Someone recently reminded me that even though the world kind of sucks right now, there are still some good things left. We just need to look for them. So, if you needed that today, here you go
> 
> Let me know what you thought, I hope you enjoyed!


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun with this one. That didn't mean to come off as ominous, but it fits. 
> 
> TW: PTSD

_Dinah was in an old house. It looked kind of familiar, she’d definitely been there before. She couldn’t place where, though. Something was off. It was thundering, pouring, and pitch black. In her hands she was holding a flashlight and a gun and crossed them in front of her. She was searching for something. Something to tell her… something. It had to be important. There was definitely a reason. What was it? Why couldn’t she remember?_

_Dinah heard the door creak open. Had she closed it? Was it just because it was an old house? Or was someone there with her? She spun around and aimed the flashlight at the door. Nothing. Everything seemed the same as before. But was there a weird shadow on the wall in front of her? Dinah shook her head, and got back to searching. She still didn’t know what she was searching for, but it had to be something. The wood creaked again. She stood up straight and looked around. There was someone behind her but she couldn’t turn around. They put a knife to her throat and Dinah tried to struggle, but they pinned her arms in place. The figure holding her in place whispered something in her ear, and they pressed the knife closer to her neck so that Dinah could feel how cold the steel was. She dropped the flashlight and her gun and tried to move her arms. Before she could think of anything else, they slit her throat and pushed her to the floor._

Dinah sat up in bed coughing violently. She put her hand on her chest to try and steady her breathing, but couldn’t stop coughing.

“Dinah!” Laurel shouted, sitting up beside Dinah. Laurel put her hand on Dinah’s back. “What’s going on?” 

Dinah managed to stop coughing long enough to answer. “Another dream.” She paused to take a deep breath. “Stanley Dover.” Laurel nodded and continued rubbing her back. Stanley was the one who slit Dinah’s throat a few years ago. 

“Hey, listen to me.” Laurel took Dinah’s hands to stop them from shaking and leaned her forehead on hers. “You’re safe here. You’re home, and you’re okay. And no one can get to you here. It’s just you and me, and we are safe.”

“Okay, okay.” Dinah said hurriedly, her breathing still unsteady. “It’s just all… so much.” 

“I got you, D. You’re safe here.” Laurel assured her. Dinah steadied her breathing after a few minutes. She closed her eyes and leaned against Laurel. 

“Thank you.” Dinah said. Laurel wrapped her arms around her. “I think I’m okay.” 

“Good.” Laurel said. “Do you think you can go back to sleep?” 

Dinah gave a slight nod. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.” Laure laid back down with Dinah still in her arms. 

“I’ve still got you Dinah. Don’t worry.” Laurel whispered to her. Dinah was able to fall back asleep soon after. 

That morning, Laurel woke up and went downstairs before Dinah. She was sitting at the table drinking coffee and petting Lasagna when she came down. 

“Hey D.” Laurel said. “How are you doing?” 

Dinah came over to Laurel and kissed the top of her head. “I’m okay. Last night was a little…” Dinah trailed off, unable to find the right word. 

“I know.” Laurel said. Dinah smiled weakly. “That hasn’t happened in a while, everything okay?” 

“I think so. Honestly that one was really surprising. It’s been so long.” Dinah responded. “But it’s part of the job.” 

“Yeah. It is.” Laurel looked down at her coffee. “Not as glamorous as it seems, right?” 

Dinah laughed lightly. “Not at all.” 

“So, we don’t have any plans today, right?” Laurel asked. Dinah shook her head. “We should go out tonight. I feel like it’s been awhile.” 

“Yeah, it has been.” Dinah agreed. “I like that plan.” She paused for a minute while she made her tea. “Are you coming down to the bar today?” 

“I think I will. Conner told me that he’s going to give Claire more of a chance, so I want to be there for that.” Laurel answered. 

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, is that what you two were talking about last night?” 

Laurel nodded. “I asked him why he was being so hard on her, and he told me it was because he was worried about Claire hurting Rose again.” Laurel explained. “Honestly, I can’t blame him. But I tried to assure him that she’s changed and isn’t going to be hurting anyone.” 

“I’m glad he’s going to give her a chance. I can’t blame him either, I would probably do the same.” Dinah said. “I think things will go well.” 

“Yes, it’ll be okay. They’re all good people at heart.” Laurel said. 

“I agree.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Laurel got down to the bar, she saw Claire and Conner standing behind the bar talking about something. Laurel walked over to Dinah and pointed it out. 

“I know, right? They’re already starting to like each other.” Dinah said. “Making progress.”

Rose walked over to them. “It’s working!” She said excitedly. “I’m very relieved.” 

“Me too.” Dinah and Laurel said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed. Claire and Conner continued to talk to each other, and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Conner noticed Rose watching him and winked. 

Everyone got back to work and Laurel sat at the bar and talked to Dinah as she served people. Claire came over to talk to them after a while and was clearly very excited. 

“Did you see that?” She asked, smiling widely. “I think he might actually like me. Which makes me really happy. I think I proved that I've changed. I haven’t completely proved it to him, obviously. Honestly I don’t think I even deserve that, but baby sets.” 

“Hey. You deserve it. You’ve been through a lot, you’re a different person.” Laurel said seriously. “And I’m glad Conner sees that.” 

“You’re right. Sorry.” 

“Claire, you have nothing to apologize for. I get it.” Dinah assured her. Claire nodded. “So, everything so far has been good?” 

“Yeah, I think so. I’m fitting in here, I’m starting to actually be happy for the first time in… years?” Claire said. “Things are finally going well.” 

“That’s great. I’m happy for you.” Laurel said. “Hopefully things will continue to get better.” 

“Yeah, and I hate to ask, but have you heard anything from your ex? I know it’s a sore topic, but I just want to make sure you’re safe.” Dinah said.

“I understand.” Claire said. “I haven’t heard anything, and I don’t think I will.”

“Okay. If he ever reaches out or tries to find you, let us know. We can take care of it.” Laurel said. 

“I’m a little worried about what ‘take care of it’ means, but I appreciate it.” Claire admitted. “Thank you.” 

“Anytime.” Laurel said. 

“We have your back.” Dinah added. Claire smiled and walked away to get back to work. “Are you worried too?” Dinah asked Laurel once Claire was out of earshot. 

“A little. I feel like he would’ve been angrier about her leaving, and I don’t think he’d let it go.” Laurel said. “But then again, if he was going to do something he would’ve already done it.” 

“True. I might just be overthinking things.” 

“Yeah, maybe. Just some leftover trust issues from constantly being in danger.” Laurel said. 

“Oh, don’t you just love that?” Dinah said sarcastically. 

Laurel rolled her eyes. “Yes, it is absolutely fantastic.” She replied in the same tone. “It’s truly wonderful.” 

Dinah laughed dryly. “Where did we go wrong?” 

“That’s a loaded question.” Laurel said. She paused for a minute. “Actually, no. I think everything that happened led us to where we are now. And I wouldn’t trade my relationship with you for the world, no matter how rough it was getting here.” 

“You’re right. Yes, it left us with quite a few issues, but that’s part of life. I also got someone pretty good out of it.” Dinah said. 

“I love you D.” 

“I love you too.” Dinah gave her a quick kiss over the bar.

Rose and Conner were watching them from across the room. 

“Do you think that’ll ever be us?” Rose asked him. 

Conner smiled and looked at her. “Isn’t it already?” 

Rose thought about it for a second. “Yeah, it is.” Conner gave her a kiss on her forehead. 

“Oh, I like you.” Conner said. 

“I should hope so.” Rose replied with a grin. Conner laughed. 

Later that night, Dinah was getting ready to leave for her date with Laurel. She left the bar in Rose’s hands, and Laurel was already downstairs waiting for her. Even after dating and living with each other for so long, going on real dates with Laurel still gave her butterflies. She didn’t really know why, but it wasn’t something she wanted to change. 

“So, is there any special reason for you and Dinah going out tonight?” Rose asked Laurel before Dinah came down. 

“Nope, just a regular date.” Laurel said. “Why do you ask?” 

“No reason, I’m just nosy.” Rose said. Laurel laughed. A few moments later, Dinah came down to the bar and Laurel nearly gasped. Rose noticed and smiled. “Oooh, have fun tonight.” She said with a wink as she left. 

“You look… so gorgeous.” Laurel breathed. 

Dinah smiled. “Thank you.” She took Laurel’s hand while she was still gaping at her. “Shall we go?” 

Laurel composed herself. “Yes, we shall.” They walked to a restaurant that was right down the street, and were seated soon after they got there. 

“So, how are things?” Dinah asked, as if they didn’t spend every day together. 

“Things are good. Pretty great, I would say.” Laurel said. “What about you?”

“Oh, you know.” The two of them laughed. 

“So, how’s Claire doing? Is she adjusting well?” Laurel asked, being a little more serious. 

“I think so.” Dinah paused. “She and Rose are getting along, and Conner is warming up to her.” 

“I’m glad, I was honestly worried that things would always be pretty tense.” Laurel said. “What about otherwise? Do you think she’s doing okay emotionally? Because I get a pretty weird sense that she’s not a hundred percent. Not even close, really.” 

“I don’t think you’re wrong. She seems happy, but there’s something off. But I guess her ex just did a number on her.” Dinah said. “I’ve been keeping an eye out for anything strange, but every day she seems to be getting a little better.” 

“Yeah. That’s good. She’ll be okay.” Laurel replied. “I was.” 

“Matching tattoo guy?” Dinah asked. Laurel nodded. “Yeah, she’s strong. Like you.” 

Laurel smiled. “You’re sweet.” 

“That’s why you love me.” 

“Among many, many, reasons.” Laurel said. “Yeah, so I was in a fairly similar situation in high school, and that’s not even why I broke up with him.” 

“He was cheating, right?” Dinah asked. 

“Yes. Honestly, finding that out was kind of a relief because I was too scared to break up with him otherwise. But even after that it was hard to readjust. Being with someone like that for even a short amount of time… it can be pretty rough.” Laurel explained. “And while I didn’t have the best coping mechanism, I was able to move on.” 

“Yeah, you got through it. Claire will be okay.” Dinah laughed. “But maybe don’t tell her how…”

“That’s probably smart. She doesn’t need that.” Laurel said. “Wow, two years ago I could never have made a joke like that. I didn’t realize it had been so long. That’s so weird.” Laurel said. 

“You’ve grown a lot.” Dinah commented. 

“I have.” Laurel agreed. “You know, we’ve both changed since I moved in.”

“Very true. We’ve been through a lot, but I think it was all for the best. I mean, look at us now.” Dinah said. “Two very attractive people, who couldn’t be happier.” 

Laurel laughed. “Damn right.” The two of them continued to talk and make jokes the rest of the night. 

“Are you ready to go?” Dinah asked after a couple hours. Laurel nodded and stood up. She took Dinah’s hand as they walked out. “Oh god, it got cold.” Dinah said once they stepped outside. She let go of Laurel’s hand to wrap her arms around herself.

“Want my jacket?” Laurel offered. Dinah nodded and Laurel put it around her shoulders. 

“Thanks.” Dinah said. Laurel put her arm around Dinah’s shoulders as well. “See? Now that’s perfect.” 

“I agree.” Laurel replied. “Remember that night we got caught in the rain at that beach house?” Laurel asked right before they got into their apartment. 

“Yeah, I do.” Dinah said fondly. “What about it?” 

“Oh nothing. I just wanted to think about it.” Laurel said. 

Dinah rolled her eyes and laughed. “You’re cute.” She said under her breath. 

“Hm?” Laurel asked, but she had clearly heard her. 

“You’re dumb.” Dinah said with a wink. 

Laurel faked being shocked. “I see how it is, Drake. Let me just take my jacket from you, then.”

Dinah hugged her arms around herself tighter. “No, you know I love you.” 

“That’s true.” Laurel said. She lowered her voice. “I love you too.” Laurel put both arms around Dinah and gave her a kiss. 

“More than anything.” Dinah added. “Really, more than anything. I just want you to know that.” 

“Me too.” Laurel said. “You’re my everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, the projection onto my characters in this chapter is STRONG. Not my intention, but it makes for good content so it's fine. A tad angsty, but fine. Enjoy! 
> 
> Let me know what you think, and I think you guys will like the coming chapters.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii I know I took kind of awhile to post again but there's been some things but it's hear now
> 
> The song is "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles  
> (Yes, I wrote the majority of this chapter around the fact that I had that song stuck in my head)

“Hey, Dinah, can I ask you a favor?” Rose said to Dinah the next day while they were both working. 

“Yeah, of course.” Dinah said. “You can always ask me anything.” 

Rose smiled. “Thanks. So anyway, I wanted to know if you would consider asking Claire to sing one day. She has an amazing voice and I think she would love it if you asked her. It would really make her feel like she belongs here.” Rose said. “Because she really does and I want her to know that.” 

“Claire can sing?” Dinah asked. Rose nodded. “That’s amazing, of course I’ll ask if she wants to do something. I would love to hear her.”

“Great. Thank you so much, she will really appreciate it.” 

“Anytime. I wish I knew this before, that would’ve been great.” Dinah said. “You think this will help her?” 

“I do.” Rose replied. “I think she still feels like she’s an outsider, but she isn’t.”

“Yeah, she fits in great here. Hopefully she’ll make more of a connection with everything here after she sings.” Dinah said. She paused for a second. “You know, as weird as this sounds, singing up there really changes how you see this place.” Rose gave her a weird look. “I know how crazy I sound.”

“No, I understand what you mean.” Rose said. “It makes sense.” Dinah smiled. 

“Okay, I’m going to talk to Claire.” Dinah said. Rose nodded and got back to work. Dinah walked towards Claire who was standing at the other end of the bar. “Hey, Claire.” Dinah said, drawing out her words.

“Oh no, what’s wrong?” Claire said, looking somewhat panicked. “Did I do something?” 

“Nothing, don’t worry.” Dinah assured her. “I just wanted to ask you if you would consider singing for everyone one day. Rose told me that you used to sing and that you have a great voice, and I would love to have someone else up there as well.” 

Claire’s eyes lit up. “Really? That would be amazing, I would love that so much. Are you sure it’s okay?” 

Dinah laughed at how excited she got. “Yes, of course it’s okay. I also really want to hear your voice.” 

“Oh my god, I love you.” Claire gave Dinah a quick hug which surprised her. “When do you want me to sing? Do you want to hear me first, because I don’t want to-” Claire said, rushing through her words. 

Dinah put up a hand to stop her. “Relax. You can go now, or tomorrow if you want to prepare or anything. Also I trust Rose’s judgement, and I want to hear you for the first time with everyone else.” 

“Okay.” Claire took a deep breath. “Can I go tomorrow? I need to find something to sing.” Dinah nodded. “Great. And do you think you could be my accompanist? I can’t really play piano that well.” 

“Of course. Whatever you want.” Dinah said. 

“Perfect. Thank you so much, I’m so excited.” 

“No problem. You’ll be great.” Dinah said. Claire smiled and then the both of them got back to work. 

Later that evening, Dinah was closing down the bar and getting ready to go back to her apartment. She was just about to turn off the lights and leave, but she heard a weird noise coming from outside the door. It sounded like someone was trying to open it. Dinah grabbed a knife that she had hidden under the bar in case of emergencies, and walked slowly towards the door. The noise stopped suddenly, so Dinah gripped the knife tighter. After quietly unlocking the door, Dinah slowly opened it up and stepped out into the night. There was no one around, but there was a chill on the back of her neck that wasn’t just from the cold air. Something was going on, but Dinah didn’t know what or who was behind it. She turned around slowly and just saw the empty street. After a few minutes, Dinah relaxed a little. Giving up, she went back inside and locked the door again. Dinah sighed, but she knew that no one would be able to get in and that she and Laurel were safe. That being said, even if someone did get in, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the two Black Canaries. So, she wasn’t too worried. 

“You’re back.” Laurel said as soon as Dinah opened the door to their apartment. “You’re a little later than usual, is everything okay?” Laurel stood up and walked towards her. 

“I always forget how perceptive you are.” Dinah commented before answering. “Yeah, everything is fine. I just heard a weird noise outside the bar that I wanted to check out.” 

“Did you find anything?” Laurel asked, only a little worried. A lot of weird things happen all the time, this wasn’t that unusual. 

“No, I think I was just being paranoid.” Dinah said. “We should be fine.” 

“Good.” Laurel replied. “But then again, it’s not like we can’t defend ourselves.” 

Dinah grinned. “My thoughts exactly.” She gave Laurel a quick kiss. “Hi.” 

“Hi.” Laurel replied. “Besides that, did you have a good day?” 

“Yeah, I did.” Dinah said. “Oh, and you know what I found out? Claire can sing. Rose told me, so I asked her to sing for the bar one time. I think she’ll go up tomorrow.” 

“Really? I had no idea. I’ll be sure to be there.” Laurel said. “So everything is going well with her?” 

Dinah nodded. “I think this is really going to help her feel at home. And honestly, I can’t wait to hear her sing. Rose said she was really good, and I trust her.” 

“Me too. I’m excited.” Laurel replied. “Not just to hear her sing, but for her to realize that she belongs.”

“Yeah, this is your first stray.” Dinah commented. 

“Actually, second.” Laurel corrected. She picked up Lasagna. “This one was my first.” Laurel gave her a kiss on her head, which the cat was not in the mood for. 

Dinah laughed. “How could I forget?” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you ready?” Rose asked Claire right before she was about to go up to sing. 

“Sure.” Claire said. 

“You’re going to do great.” Conner said. Claire smiled. “Don’t be nervous.” 

Laurel rolled her eyes. “Great advice, Conner.” She said sarcastically. 

“Yeah, all of my concerns are gone now.” Claire added in the same tone. 

“You know, I try my best.” Conner said. “And this is what I get.” 

Claire laughed. “No, seriously, thank you.” They stood together as they waited for Dinah to wave Claire up. 

“Good luck.” Rose whispered to her as Dinah motioned for Claire to come onstage. Claire walked up and whispered the song she was singing to Dinah, who nodded. 

“Hi, everyone.” Claire said, walking up to the microphone. “So, clearly, I am not Dinah, but I’m going to sing something for you.” That got a light laugh out of some people. “Anyway, here we go.” 

“You got this Claire.” Dinah said quietly so that only Claire could hear her. 

“ _Head underwater, and they tell me to breathe easy for a while._ ” Claire started to relax as soon as she started singing. “ _Breathing gets harder, even I know that. Made room for me, it’s too soon to see if I’m happy in your hands. I’m unusually hard to hold on to._ ” 

“Oh my god, Rose, you were so right.” Laure whispered to Rose as Claire sang. Rose nodded and smiled, 

“ _Blank stares at blank pages, no easy way to say this. You mean well, but you make this hard on me._ ” Claire closed her eyes and finally realized why Dinah loved doing this so much. She felt this energy that was practically indescribable. “ _I’m not gonna write you a love song ‘cause you asked for it, ‘cause you need one, you see. I’m not gonna write you a love song ‘cause you tell me it’s make or break in this if you’re on your way. I’m not gonna write you to stay._ ” Dinah smiled to herself once she saw how much fun Claire was having onstage. She knew better than anyone how good this was for people. “ _If all you have is leaving I’m gonna need a better reason to write you a love song today._ ” Claire finished the song and the bar cheered. When she turned to look at Dinah she was smiling wider than anyone there had ever seen her. 

“Rose, you were fantastic. If you ever want to do that again, please be my guest.” Dinah said, standing up from the piano. 

“Thank you. And thank you so much for letting me do this.” Claire said. 

“Thank Rose. It was her idea.” Dinah told her. Claire nodded and ran offstage. She ran to Rose and pulled her in for a hug. 

“Thank you so much Rose.” She whispered. 

“Of course.” Rose replied. She pulled away after a few seconds. “How did that feel?” 

“So damn good.” Claire let out a deep breath. “I understand why you love that so much, Dinah.” 

Dinah smiled. “Yeah, it’s pretty great.”

“You were amazing, Claire. You did great.” Laurel said. 

“Yeah, you were really, really, good.” Conner added. 

“Thank you. All of you.” Claire said. “I’ll admit, I never really felt like I belonged here until today. Thanks for helping me out. I think I really feel at home here now.” 

“I’m glad.” Dinah said. Laurel nodded. 

“That’s what we do.” She added. 

“I think I see that now.” Claire commented. Everyone except Dinah left to get back to work. 

“So, what’d you think?” Dinah asked once everyone was far enough away. 

“I think she was really good.” Laurel paused. “Although, no one can beat the original singer at this bar.” 

Dinah laughed and rolled her eyes. “Thank you.” 

“No, but seriously, she was amazing.”

“Yeah, she was.” Dinah agreed. “Also she and Rose seem pretty close. And Conner too. I think she’s doing a lot better. Even she admitted it.” 

“You did good, D.” Laurel said. “Did you see that look in her eyes?” 

“I did.” Dinah said. “She’s home.” 

Later that night, Laurel was upstairs waiting for Dinah to come home. She was sitting on the floor across from Oreo, trying to communicate with her. When Dinah got upstairs she heard Laurel talking to someone so she opened the door quietly and snuck in.

“You can’t eat plastic.” Laurel said firmly, for what must have been the hundredth time. “It’s bad for you.” Oreo just meowed and scratched at the floor. “No. Plastic. I don’t understand why we need to keep having this conversation.” Laurel sighed. 

“What’s going on here?” Dinah asked after a few seconds of Laurel and Oreo just staring at each other. Laurel turned around, and Oreo just looked up and walked away. 

“Why do cats feel the need to eat plastic? Don’t they realize how bad that is?” Laurel asked. 

Dinah rubbed her forehead. “No, Laurel, they’re cats.” 

“Still.” Laurel stood up and gave Dinah a kiss. “How are things?” 

“Things are good. Although, I have to ask, how long were you arguing with Oreo?” Dinah asked. 

“Well…” Laurel started. Dinah held up her hand. 

“You know what, if it was that long, I don’t want to know.” Dinah said. Laurel laughed. “I am mildly concerned.” 

“You know, I would be too.” Laurel said, sounding somewhat defeated. Dinah smiled. Then, the two of them heard something rustling. Then a crackling. 

“Is that-?” Dinah asked. Laurel nodded and went to find Oreo. 

“Goddamnit Oreo, we’ve gone over this.” Laurel picked the cat up as Dinah picked the plastic bag up. “No.”

“I see why you’ve been trying to reason with her.” Dinah observed. “But I don’t think it’s been doing you any good.” 

“Yeah, well, at least I tried.” Dinah put the bag where Oreo wouldn’t be able to find it and Laurel put her back down. 

“You’re so good.” Dinah said, coming up behind Laurel and wrapping her arms around her. 

“Me? Of all people?” Laurel asked. She turned around to face Dinah. “I’m surprised.” 

“Are you really? I mean, have you seen yourself these past two years?” 

“That’s true, I’ve gotten better.” Laurel admitted. “You’ve helped. You deserve at least some of the credit.”

Dinah smiled. She gave Laurel a kiss. “Thanks. But it was all you.” 

“You know we could go back and forth like this all night.” Laurel said. 

“True.” Dinah replied. “That’s true love right there.” 

“I love you.” 

“I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this stuff is relevant, you'll see. Also, I'm a little sorry for what's coming. And I'm even more sorry to tell you that we are getting dangerously close to the end. Don't worry, there's still some time, but if I stay on a schedule (but you know, I never do so who knows) it might be over by the new year. 
> 
> I almost didn't post today, but a friend of mine made me cookies and that made me think that maybe there is in fact a point to life. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. This chapter really got away from me.
> 
> tw for harassment

“Hi, Laurel.” Conner said, drawing out his words. He sat down next to Laurel at the bar. “How are you?” 

“Oh no.” Laurel sighed. “What do you want?” 

“How did you know I was going to ask you something?” Conner asked innocently. 

Laurel rolled her eyes. “Oh, because you are so subtle.” She said sarcastically. 

“Okay, yeah, I need your help.” Conner said. “Would you consider helping me-”

“I swear to god if you ask me to help you plan another party I’m going to-” 

“Please, Laurel. It’s Rose’s birthday and I want to plan something for her.” Conner said. Laurel opened her mouth to say something else but Conner cut her off. “It doesn’t have to be a surprise party.” 

“Conner…” Laurel started. “I just don’t think that’s a good idea.” 

“Okay, I understand why you wouldn’t want to, but you know that wasn’t your fault.” Conner replied. 

“Yeah, I know.” 

“And I’ll make sure to remember everything so no one has to leave and nothing will go wrong.” 

Laurel hesitated. “Fine. I’ll help you. We do plan pretty good parties.” 

“Thank you!” Conner smiled. “Okay, so it’s in two days, and here’s what I have so far…” 

“And you said it wouldn’t be a surprise party?” Laurel said. 

“Well, not officially, but if she happens to forget that it’s happening…” Laurel groaned and put her head in her hands. 

“Conner, oh my god.” Laurel said. “You know what, it’s fine. It can be a surprise party, everything will be okay.”

“You’re the best.” 

“I know. So, let’s see what we have to do…” Laurel said. The two of them spent about twenty minutes going over everything they would need, and Laurel made sure to double check everything so they wouldn’t forget anything. 

“Okay, so, come to our apartment an hour early so we can put everything together.” Conner said. “This is going to be great. ”

“Yeah, this one will be perfect. Rose is going to love it.” Laurel told him. 

“I hope so.” Conner said. “All I ever want to do is make her happy.” 

Laurel pointed to Rose, who was across the bar and laughing with Claire. “Conner, you already have. She’s gotten so much happier since you two have been together.” 

“You think so?” Conner asked. “I want to make sure I’m good enough for her.” 

“Of course. You two are perfect for each other. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine you two apart.” Laurel assured him. “God, you sound like me.” 

Conner laughed. “I do, don’t I? How the tables have turned.” 

“We work well together.” Laurel said. 

“Yup, I was right.” Conner replied. Laurel laughed and rolled her eyes. 

Two days later, Laurel was at Rose and Conner’s apartment decorating and getting ready. Dinah was keeping Rose a little late at the bar, giving Claire enough time to get there without letting Rose know. Dinah would pretend to have to leave early, and ask Rose to lock up the bar, but she was going to secretly leave early. 

“Okay, Conner, we have twenty minutes. Claire should be here any minute and Dinah will be close behind her. If all goes according to plan and Rose doesn’t notice that she never actually went home.” Laurel said. 

“Perfect. And I don’t think Rose will notice, after all, Dinah used to be a spy.” Conner commented. 

“Vigilante.” Laurel corrected.

“Same thing.” 

Laurel looked at him in bewilderment. “They’re so not.” Conner just shrugged. “Anyway, moving on, do we have everything?” She glanced at the notepad where she had written everything down.

“I think we do. Did you get the cake?” Conner asked.

Laurel’s eyes widened. “No, I thought you did.” Laurel put a hand to her head. “Did we seriously forget it again?” 

Conner laughed. “No, I’m kidding. I got it.” Laurel glared at him. “What?”

Laurel threw the notebook at him. “You’re the worst.” 

“I know, I’m sorry.” Conner said, only half serious. 

Laurel rolled her eyes. “I’m pretty sure we have everything, but thanks for the heart attack.” 

“Yeah we’re good.” Conner tried to throw the notepad back at her but she caught it without even turning around. “What the hell? How?” He whispered to himself. 

“It’s a gift.” The two of them finished setting everything up, and after about five minutes Claire walked in with Dinah right behind her. “All good?” Laurel asked once Dinah shut the door.

“She has no idea.” Dinah replied. She checked the time. “We have about… thirteen minutes before she arrives.” 

“Great.” Laurel looked to Conner. “I think we’re pretty much done here, right?” 

Conner nodded. “Yup. Everything’s good, all we have to do is wait.” 

Claire looked at Dinah and then at Laurel with a look of confusion. “Can I ask a question?” 

Dinah and Laurel glanced at each other, anticipating what she was going to ask. “Sure.” They said at the same time. 

“I don’t want this to come off the wrong way, but you two seem very used to sneaking around. Like you have experience in doing stuff really secretly.” Claire asked. “And I mean this in the best way possible, but it’s a little concerning.” 

Laurel and Dinah smiled, and Conner laughed quietly. “She doesn’t know?” He asked. 

“I guess not.” Dinah said. 

“Wait, know what?” Claire asked, still confused. 

Dinah motioned for Laurel to answer. “We were the Black Canaries. For quite a few years, actually.”

“Wait, seriously?” Claire asked in shock. They nodded. She looked to Conner. “And you knew about this?” 

“Yup. When they told Rose and I we had a similar reaction.” Conner explained. 

Claire let out a deep breath. “That’s so cool. Well, I’m thankful to the two of you.” 

“No need, just doing what was right.” Dinah said. “Ah, the good old days.”

“Wow. Did you guys like, ever almost die?” Claire asked, very intrigued. 

Laurel couldn’t keep herself from laughing. “Oh god, every goddamn day.” 

Dinah nodded. “Yeah, there were very few moments of peace.”

“That’s insane. Well, I feel enlightened.” Claire said. “Kinda cool to work with the former Canaries.”

“That doesn’t happen everyday.” Conner added. Claire nodded. 

A few more minutes passed, and Dinah was looking out the window to watch for Rose. “She’s here!” Dinah announced once she saw Rose open the door to the building. “You guys ready?” Everyone nodded and got into position. 

“Surprise!” They all yelled once Rose opened the door. 

She took a step back to take everything in. “Guys, really? This is so sweet, thank you!” Rose said, smiling. 

“Happy birthday Rose.” Conner said. He moved closer to her and gave her a kiss. “Love you.”

“I love you too.” Rose replied once she pulled away. “Thanks, all of you. This makes me so happy.” 

“Of course, Rose. You deserve it.” Laurel said. 

“Yeah, you do.” Claire added. 

“You guys are really the best.” Rose said. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Dinah said. “Oh, and before I forget, someone sent you something.” She grabbed a wrapped gift from the table and handed it to Rose. “Kate and Skylar sent this to you.”

“Really?” Dinah nodded. Rose unwrapped it and put a hand over her mouth. “Wait, is this…” She started to tear up. 

“What is it?” Conner asked. Rose turned it around. It was a painting, obviously done by Kate, of Rose and Conner talking at the bar. Conner was sitting down and Rose was on the other side, leaving over and talking to him. Kate perfectly captured the love in their eyes. “That’s us.” 

“Yeah, it is.” Rose said. “I love it, it’s perfect. I need to thank them, I’m going to call them right now.” Rose excused herself for a minute to call Kate and Skylar.

“Oh, and Skylar wanted me to tell you that they picked out the frame.” Dinah called to her as Rose walked away. She could hear Rose laugh before disappearing into another room. 

“Who are they?” Claire whispered to Laurel. 

“They used to work at the bar, and we got pretty close to them. They moved to New York a couple weeks before you started.” Laurel explained. 

“Got it. Thanks.” Claire said. After a few minutes, Rose came back and they went to go sit down. They started talking and Claire gradually started talking about her life more. Rose already knew some of it, of course, but everyone else learned more about her. 

“When did you move to Star City?” Dinah asked. 

“So, my college boyfriend Jacob planned on getting a job here, and he kind of forced, and kind of asked me to move here with him.” Claire explained. “He’s the one you saved me from, Laurel.” 

“That’s him?” Laurel asked. Claire nodded. “Wow, I’m sorry you were with him for so long.” 

“Yeah, that was not healthy. But in the end it’s good, because now I’m here and I’m actually happy for the first time in… years, I think.” Claire responded. 

“That’s good, I’m glad you’re happy now.” Rose said. “I just want to say, you are not the same person you were. You’ve really grown a lot.” 

“That means a lot, coming from you. Thank you.” Claire said. 

“Of course.” Rose said. “Does anyone want a refill? I’m going to go grab something.” Rose said. 

Everyone nodded, except Conner who stood up as well. “I’ll help you get everything.” He said. The two of them walked into the kitchen.

“Thank you.” Rose said once they were far away from everyone else. 

“For what?” Conner asked. 

Rose gestured vaguely to everything around them. “For all this. It’s the best thing anyone could have asked for.” She gave Conner a kiss, which made him blush.

“Well, of course. I love you.” Conner said, acting like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’d do anything for you.” 

“What did I do to deserve you?” Rose asked, unable to stop smiling. 

Conner pretended to think about it for a second. “First off, you became the best person on earth. And yeah, I think that’s it.” Conner said. 

Rose laughed. “God, I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Conner smiled and pulled her closer. “Can I kiss you again?” 

“I’ll be disappointed if you don’t.” Rose said, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him in for another kiss.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What’s up Claire?” Laurel asked, sitting down at the bar a few days later. “You’ve been drumming your fingers on the bar for five minutes, and your eyes are darting around like crazy.” 

Claire stopped and looked down at her hand. She clenched her fist. “Yeah, I’m not great at hiding that, am I?” She smiled weakly.

Laurel smiled. “So what’s going on? Is everything okay?” 

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just anxious today, I’m not really sure why.” Claire explained. “It’s probably nothing.” 

“Okay, as long as you’re good. And you’ve got all of us here if you need it.” Laurel said. “I’m sure everything is going to be fine.” 

“Yeah, me too.” Claire sighed. “I think I’m just being paranoid.” 

Dinah walked by and stopped when she got to the two of them. “You good Claire?” She asked. 

Claire and Laurel laughed. “Laurel just asked me that. I’m fine, just one of those days.” 

Dinah nodded. “Do you want my advice?” She asked. 

“Yes, please.”

“Go up and sing something. That always helps me relax.” Dinah said. Claire’s eyes brightened and she nodded. She went onstage and sang, and Dinah could see the tension in her shoulders go away, and she wasn’t fiddling with her hands anymore. 

Laurel stood up behind Dinah and put her arms around her. “You did that.” She said. 

“No, it wasn’t me, Rose was the one to tell me that she could sing.” Dinah said. 

“Well, you’re the one who hired her and made her a part of this place.” Laurel said. 

“Aren't you the one that found her?” Dinah asked, turning around. Laurel rolled her eyes. “What?” 

“Come on, you made this place what it is. You can take some credit for how much everyone here has grown.” Laurel argued. 

“Okay, okay.” Dinah said. “This is why I like you.” 

“Is that the only reason?” Laurel said with a sarcastic grin. 

Dinah laughed. “Oh, there’s so many.” She gave Laurel a kiss. 

“You’re cute.” 

“I know.” Dinah replied. 

Claire finished her song and was putting the microphone back when someone aggressively threw open the door to the bar. “Hey!” He yelled, pointing to Claire. She froze on stage and the usually lively bar fell silent. Dinah and Laurel looked at each other and got ready to intervene if necessary. 

“That’s Jacob. Her ex.” Laurel whispered to Dinah before Jacob said anything else. 

Claire’s face hardened. “What the hell are you doing here?” She asked, trying to keep her voice steady. 

“I’ve come for you.” Jacob said, his voice scarily low. “Did you really think I would just let you leave me? That’s not how this works. You know that.” 

Laurel glanced at Dinah who nodded. The two of them went around on either side of him and prepared to defend Claire. Jacob didn’t seem to notice, and he kept talking. 

“You’re going to come with me.” He threatened. “I suggest you listen and maybe things will get better.” 

The fear in Claire’s eyes was noticeable at this point. “Absolutely not.” 

Dinah and Laurel saw Jacob’s hand twitch and realized that he was about to lunge at her. Before he even moved they grabbed his arms to hold him back. “I thought I told you never to come back here.” Laurel said to him quietly. “Did you forget what I told you?”

“You bitches really think you can stop me?” He asked. 

Dinah didn’t hesitate. “I know we can.” She nodded her head at Laurel, who kicked his legs out from under him as Dinah pushed him to the floor. “Get the hell out of here.” He scrambled to get up. 

Laurel grabbed his arm before he could leave. “You are never going to contact Claire again, understand? Or there won’t be a goddamn thing in the world that can save you.” She let go and he left hurriedly. There was a brief minute of silence in the bar, but people quickly resumed talking. Claire ran over to Dinah and Laurel and collapsed into Dinah’s outstretched arms. 

“I am so sorry.” Claire choked out. “I never thought- he’s just- I thought I was free of him.” She eventually got out.

“Hey, it’s not your fault.” Dinah assured her. “You did not do this. This is all on him.” 

Claire pulled away and looked at Laurel. “Thank you, both of you, so much. I don’t know what would’ve happened if he had-” 

“You don’t need to think about that.” Laurel said, stopping her. Claire nodded. “Come with me upstairs for a little while. Just to calm down.” Laurel offered. Claire smiled weakly and walked towards her. Laurel put an arm around her. 

Dinah watched them walk away, and she waited until they were out of view to go back to work. Rose came over to her once she was behind the bar again. 

“Dinah, oh my god.” Rose said. “What the hell just happened?”

“Jacob.” Dinah said shortly. She forcefully put a glass down on the bar. “He came back to find Claire.” 

“That’s just… awful.” Rose said. “I’m glad she’s okay.” 

“Me too.” 

“Thank god you and Laurel were there, I can’t imagine what would’ve happened.” Rose said. 

“Yeah. I hate the fact that there are people like him in the world, but it’s a good thing I can protect against them.” Dinah said. Rose put a hand on her shoulder. The only other time she had seen Dinah this stoic was right after Laurel left her. There was something more to it, but Rose just wasn’t sure what it was. 

Two hours later, Claire came back downstairs with Laurel. Dinah was just finishing locking everything up. “Hey, Claire, you doing any better?” She asked. 

Claire shrugged. “Yeah, a little. It’s nice to know I wasn’t just anxious for no reason today.” Claire said, forcing out a laugh. Her shoulders sagged. “I think I just want to go home.” 

Dinah nodded. “I’ll walk you home, to make sure you get in safely.” She looked to Laurel. “Can you finish locking everything up?” 

“Of course.” Laurel said. Dinah tossed her the keys. “Feel better, Claire.” She gave Claire a quick hug before she and Dinah left. 

“Thanks Dinah. For everything.” Claire said as they started walking. “I feel safe around you.” 

“Of course, that’s all I want.” Dinah said. “Are you sure you’ll be okay alone tonight?” 

Claire paused. “I’ll be alright. I really just need some sleep and I know in the morning I’ll feel better.” 

“Okay, if you’re sure.” Dinah said. 

“I am.” Claire said. “I’m really happy now, I finally have a place I belong, and some friends, and I think that I can-” 

_Bang. Bang._

Dinah looked around and saw a figure standing a few yards behind them. Jacob. She looked to Claire, who was holding her hand to her stomach. There were two shots and the blood was already staining her shirt. Everything started to move in slow motion. Dinah looked into her eyes and saw a pain and a fear that she’s never seen before. Claire started to fall backwards, and Dinah reached to try to catch her but failed. Claire’s eyes closed and her hands fell to her side. Dinah screamed. Claire was dead before she even hit the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. I wish I was sorry but honestly? This might be my fav chapter 
> 
> TW for death, blood, self harm

_Dinah._

There was blood everywhere. Dinah was on the ground holding Claire’s lifeless form. Around her, there was shouting, there were sirens, but all Dinah could see was Claire’s face. Her eyes were closed, and she would’ve looked so peaceful if not for the pool of blood on the ground beneath her.

_Dinah._

Dinah could hear everything that was happening but couldn’t look away. Footsteps behind her. Car doors opening. Someone was shouting. Dinah didn’t know if the cries were from her or someone else. Her ears started ringing. Claire was gone. Dinah had the chance to protect Claire, but she blew it. This was on her. 

“Dinah.” Laurel said, for the third time. She put a hand on Dinah’s shoulder. “It isn’t your fault.” 

Dinah turned her head to look at her. The only way Laurel could describe the look in her eyes was broken. “Isn’t it?” She looked back to Claire. 

Laurel crouched down next to her. Tears began to stream down her face. “I can’t believe it…” She trailed off. “It can’t be real.” 

Dinah didn’t reply. She looked around her. There were a few cops around, one was walking towards them. He asked them both the standard questions, and someone came to take Claire’s body away, leaving Dinah and Laurel sitting on the ground. They stayed there even after everyone had left. 

“Dinah, we need to go.” Laurel said, standing up and wiping her face. She offered her hand to Dinah. “Come on, let’s go home.” 

Dinah reached out to take Laurel’s hand, but saw how much blood was on them. _Fitting,_ she thought to herself. She dropped her hand and got up herself. Laurel put an arm around her and led her home. Laurel couldn’t seem to get Dinah’s attention. She seemed lost to Laurel, like she wasn’t actually there anymore. That she was just an empty shell. Laurel opened the door to their apartment and put a hand on Dinah’s back to lead her inside. Dinah went straight into the bathroom to wash her hands as soon as they got inside. Laurel watched her walk in and shut the door without glancing back at her. 

Dinah turned on the sink and looked down at her hands. There was dried blood caked on them, and all over her arms too. She started scrubbing as hard as she could, trying to get the blood off, trying to get the images out of her head, trying to make it all stop. Claire falling to the ground. The look in her eyes right before she died The blood pooling under her. Dinah not being able to save her. Her vision began to blur because of the tears in her eyes. She started scratching at her arms to get the blood off quicker, she just wanted it all gone. The blood. The memories, the pain. She had to get it off. She couldn’t take it anymore. The water started to turn red, and Dinah couldn’t tell if it was Claire’s or hers. 

“D?” She called quietly, knocking on the door. “Is everything okay?” There was no reply. Laurel put her hand on the doorknob, contemplating if it was a good idea to open it. Laurel went in once she heard the water turn off. Dinah was standing over the sink, leaning on it with her arms. The first thing Laurel noticed was the fresh blood running down her arms. “Dinah…” 

Laurel rushed over to the cabinet and grabbed gauze. “It’s fine, Laurel.” Dinah said shortly. “I know what I did.” 

“It’s not.” Laurel replied, trying to stop the bleeding. Her hands were shaking, she had never seen Dinah like this. She managed to stop the bleeding and fix up Dinah’s arms with little struggle. “D, it isn’t your fault. You have to understand that.” Laurel held her hands.

“Yes, it is!” Dinah said, raising her voice and pushing Laurel away. “Do you know what Claire said right before she got shot? She said that she felt safe around me. That she felt protected. And how she was finally happy because of it. But you know what happened? She got shot, because I couldn’t protect her. That’s on me, Laurel.” 

Laurel didn’t know how to respond at first. “You did the best you could. No one saw this coming, we thought we took care of it.” Laurel said, trying to comfort her. 

“If I actually did the best I could, Claire would still be here.” Dinah said, walking out of the bathroom and pushing past Laurel. Laurel spun around. 

“Would you say the same thing to me?” She asked. Dinah stopped walking, but didn’t turn around yet. “If I were the one walking her home, would you tell me that I didn’t do enough?” Laurel crossed her arms.

Dinah hesitated before turning around. “It’s different, Laurel. You would’ve-”

“No! It’s not any different!” Laurel shouted, throwing her hands up. 

“You would’ve been able to save her!” Dinah yelled back. They both looked at each other for a moment before speaking again. “You wouldn’t have let her die.” Dinah said, her voice a lot quieter. 

“We don’t know if that’s true.” Laurel whispered. “If the roles were reversed, we would be in this exact situation.” 

“I know.” Dinah replied. “I just can’t stop myself, Laurel.” She added, momentarily breaking out of whatever trance she had been in.

“D…” Laurel began. 

“I see all the images in my head and I can’t stop myself from-” Dinah tried to find the words. “I can’t stop myself from blaming myself. And that blame turns into more pain, more scars, and-” She paused. “I don’t know how to stop.” She choked out finally. Tears began to stream down her face again. 

“I know, baby. Come here.” Laurel opened up her arms and Dinah collapsed into her. She broke down and started to sob. Laurel did as well. 

“It’s all my fault, Laurel. I couldn’t save her.” Dinah said in between sobs.

“You didn’t cause this.” Laurel tried to assure her. She was crying too. “I need you to understand.” Dinah didn’t answer.

“Are we going to be okay?” Dinah asked quietly after some time. “Do you think we will be?” 

Laurel paused. “I don’t know.” She replied honestly. “I just don’t know.” She hugged Dinah closer to her. They stood in their living room, just holding each other and crying. Eventually they moved to the couch but still continued to hold each other. By the time both of them had stopped crying it was one in the morning. 

“I can’t believe she’s gone.” Dinah said. “I can’t believe I let that happen.”

“Dinah.” Laurel said. “You didn’t let it happen.” Dinah took a deep breath and nodded slightly. 

“How are we going to tell Rose and Conner?” Dinah asked, her voice desperate. 

“I… I don’t know.” Laurel answered. “I can’t do that to them. But they deserve to know.” 

Dinah sighed. “I guess we should call them here in the morning. We can’t tell them over the phone.” 

“You’re right.” Laurel said. “With the amount of people we’ve lost, you’d think it’d get easier.” 

“Yeah, you would.” Dinah replied. “You know, I don’t even understand the point of getting attached to people anymore. Either they’ll end up leaving you, or will be killed before their time. Maybe it would’ve been easier to have never gotten involved.” 

“You don’t really believe that, do you?” Laurel asked. 

“I don’t know. There are very few people left in this world that I care about, because most of them have died or left.” Dinah said. “Who do I even have left?” She asked. 

“You have me.” Laurel offered quietly, really hoping Dinah would come back to her soon. This wasn’t Dinah, or at least the Dinah she knew. “Does that make it a little more worth it?” 

Dinah’s face softened. “Yeah, I do.” She gave Laurel a kiss. “You might be one of the only things keeping me here.” 

“I wish I could do more for you. I am so sorry D.” Laurel said. Dinah looked confused. “I’m sorry these things keep happening to us. I feel like whenever things start going well something bad has to happen.” 

“Not your fault.” Dinah assured her. “It’s like we’re cursed. The universe wants us to suffer.” 

“Normally I’d say the universe doesn’t want anything.” Laurel said. “But lately I agree with you.” 

“Everything was going so well before.” Dinah said. “Why couldn’t it have just stayed like that? What did I do to deserve this?” 

“Dinah, we didn’t do anything. This is just a shitty thing that happened.” Laurel said, on the verge of tears once again. “I need you to know that. It isn’t on you.”

Dinah sighed. “I want to believe you.” She said honestly. 

“I know you do.” Laurel gave her a kiss. “You will one day.”

“I hope you’re right.” Dinah said. The two of them went silent for a couple minutes. “We should get some sleep. I’ll call Rose and Conner later.” Dinah said after a while. 

Laurel nodded. “Yeah, we should. Come on.” She got up and took Dinah’s hand. The two of them fell asleep holding each other within minutes. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, their sleep was plagued by nightmares, so neither of them were really able to rest. 

Laurel woke to an empty bed with a start. “Shit.” She said. It was only three in the morning. Laurel was worried about what she would find when she went downstairs. She threw on some clothes and ran downstairs, and saw Dinah standing over the counter with knives spread around it. She was inspecting each one. “D, what are you doing?” Laurel asked slowly. 

“I’m going to kill him.” She said flatly. She picked up another knife, looked it over, and then set it back down. 

“What?” Laurel said. “Dinah, you can’t kill him, you know-” She started. 

“I can. And I will.” Dinah said, her gaze not straying from the knives in front of her. “He deserves it.” She picked up one of the knives and put it in her sleeve. 

“Dinah.” Laurel warned. “You can’t kill him.” 

“Why not?” Dinah asked, finally looking at her. Anger flashed behind her eyes. “We both know he deserves it.” 

“D, please tell me that you know this is wrong.” Laurel said with a sense of urgency. She walked closer to Dinah and put a hand on her shoulder. “Please.”

“Give me one good reason to let that piece of shit live.” Dinah said. 

Laurel sighed. “I don’t have one, and you know that.” Dinah opened her mouth to interrupt but Laurel kept going. “If you kill him you’re going to slip back into the person you were. We both know that will happen.”

Dinah paused. She closed her eyes and dropped her head in her hands. “I know.” She sighed and looked back at Laurel. “I just can’t think clearly, Laurel.” 

“Come here.” She opened her arms, which Dinah quickly fell into. “We’ll get through it. We always have.” 

“I’m so sorry, Laurel.” Dinah said after a couple minutes.

“What? Why?” Laurel asked. 

“Because I know you’re hurting because of this too, and on top of that you have to deal with me.” Dinah said. “You deserve more than this. I feel like I’m a burden.” 

“Dinah, look at me.” Laurel said, pulling away. She put her hand under Dinah’s chin. “You are not a burden. I will always be here for you, just like how you were there for me when I needed it.” 

“I know, but-” Dinah started. 

Laurel stopped her. “No. That’s it. Yes, I’m in pain, but so are you. I just need you to stay with me, and I can help you through this. Damnit, Dinah, I love you more than I can possibly describe. You will never be a burden on me.” 

“I love you.” Dinah said, collapsing back into Laurel’s arms. “Thank you.” 

“Of course, D. Love you too.” Laurel replied. “Let’s go back to sleep, okay?” Dinah nodded and Laurel led her back upstairs. 

A couple hours later, they both woke up again, but this time at least the sun was out. Laurel got up first and she desperately wanted to let Dinah get at least a small amount of peaceful sleep. But, today they needed to tell Rose and Conner. Laurel already had tears forming before she even sat up. 

“Hey, D.” She said quietly, rubbing her back. “I’m sorry, but we need to get up.” 

Dinah sighed. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “I know. We can do this.” She held Laurel’s hand as they went downstairs. 

“Are you okay to call?” Laurel asked. Dinah nodded and sat down on the couch.

“Hey, Rose?” Dinah said, once she picked up the phone. “You and Conner need to come over. Right now.” She said. Laurel didn’t hear Rose’s response, but from the way Dinah started tearing up she assumed she asked why. “No, it’s easier to explain once you get here.” Rose said something else. “Please hurry.” Dinah added before hanging up. 

“They’re coming?” Laurel asked. 

“Yup. Rose asked why, and asked if everything was okay. She seemed like she was in a good mood before I called.” Dinah said with a hollow laugh. “How the hell am I supposed to tell her this?” 

“I don’t know.” Laurel said. “I’ll be here too, you don’t have to do this alone.”

“Yeah. Thank you.” Dinah squeezed Laurel’s hand. They waited on the couch together in silence until they heard a knock on the door. Dinah got up and opened it, letting in Conner and Rose. 

“Hey, guys.” Conner said nervously. “What’s going on?” 

“Are you guys okay?” Rose asked, noticing their appearance. Their eyes were bloodshot and they had circles under them from crying all night. 

Laurel and Dinah looked at each other. “Why don’t you guys sit down.” Laurel said. 

“Oh god, it’s bad isn’t it?” Rose asked, taking a seat next to Conner. 

Dinah took a shaky breath. “Last night, after we closed down the bar, I walked Claire home. She was still a little shaken up, and I wanted to make sure she got home safe.” Dinah started. Tears started streaming down her face. “I guess I didn’t do that well enough. We only went a couple blocks, and then Jacob came behind us and-” Dinah paused for a long time trying to compose herself. “He came up behind us and shot Claire. Right in the stomach. She didn’t make it.” Dinah broke down. 

Rose put a hand over her mouth and started to sob. Conner looked at Laurel, who was crying silently. “This can’t be true.” He said. Dinah and Laurel nodded. “Oh, god.” He started crying as well. 

“I am so sorry.” Dinah said. “I wish I could’ve done more.” 

Conner pulled Rose in for a hug. “I know you did everything you could. I just can’t believe it.” Conner said. 

Rose managed to slow her crying. “I know. She just became comfortable here. After all those years I spent resenting her, I finally became friends with her, and now she’s just gone.” Rose said bitterly. “She’s grown so much, but that all got taken away from her.” 

“I know. It’s not fair.” Laurel said. “There’s nothing else we can do.” 

“I wish there was.” Rose replied. 

Conner nodded and wiped his eyes. “Just when things started going right.” 

“That’s how it goes. Especially with us.” Dinah said.

Rose stood up. “This isn’t fair.” Rose said, raising her voice. Conner looked at Rose, and he looked terrified. He’d never seen Rose this angry. “After all this time, after all the shit she went through, she does not deserve to have it taken all away. Not like this.” She said, practically yelling. 

“I know, Rose.” Dinah said. “Trust me, I do.”

“Why did it have to end like this?” Rose cried, breaking down into hysterics again. Dinah opened her arms and Rose ran into them. It was clear that Dinah and Rose were taking this the hardest. With good reason, too.

“Laurel?” Conner asked quietly. “Will they be okay?” 

Laurel hesitated. “Honestly, Conner, I don’t know. I hope so.” 

“Yeah, me too.” Conner said. “What am I supposed to do? How can I help her?” 

“Be there for her, and don’t leave her side. Remind of how much you love her.” Laurel told him. “And, don’t suppress your own pain. I know it’s easy, I’ve done it, but it didn’t end well.” She added. 

“Thank you. You’re probably right.” Conner said. “You okay?” 

“I will be.” Laurel said confidently. “And so will you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, why doesn't anyone love me like Laurel loves Dinah? Unfair. 
> 
> Look, I tried to make it happy but that's not my style, you know? Yall will be okay. And next chapter, we will be putting the fun in funeral
> 
> I don't know what else to say, but let me know what you think! I appreciate any and all comments


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I didn't write for five days and then I did this in one night, so it's literally just pure angst. Please don't kill me, they'll be some fluff one of these days. I don't know at this point.
> 
> Also, I wasn't going to mention this, but there was a mistake in the last chapter. I originally wrote the version you read, thought it was too dark, and rewrote a little light. But, there was a mix up in posting, and I accidentally posted the darker version. I debated taking it down, but since I realized my mistake pretty late I just adjusted the trigger warnings so I am very sorry to anyone who was not prepared for that

Time passed. None of them really knew how much, but it was starting to get dark. Rose had buried her face into Conner’s chest and they were sitting on the couch together. Laurel and Dinah were sitting next to each other on the floor and holding hands. They had been quiet for a while, no one really knew what to say. 

Rose spoke up first. “Conner, can we go home?” She asked weakly. 

“Of course, Rose.” He said. She lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. 

“Are you guys going to be okay?” Laurel asked. 

They looked at each other. “I don’t know.” Rose said. “Are you?” 

“I don’t know.” Dinah said back. “We’ll see.” Dinah and Laurel stood up and gave them both hugs. 

“They’ll be okay, Conner.” Laurel whispered to Conner before pulling away. 

“I hope so.” He whispered back. “I’m… I don’t know. I don’t know if I should apologize, or-” 

“Yeah. I know Don’t worry about it.” Dinah said. “We’ll see you guys soon. And, don’t bother coming into work, I’m closing everything down for the next couple of days.” She told them. The two of them nodded as they left. Conner put a hand on Rose’s back to lead her home. She rested her head on his shoulder. 

Once, they got home, Rose immediately sank to the floor and put her head in her hands. Conner sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t know what to do, Conner.” She cried. 

“I know. I don’t either.” Conner said. 

“We just reconnected. We put everything behind us. It’s like the universe didn’t want her to change and be happy, because as soon as that happened it killed her. Just like that. Not even a warning.” Rose said. “That bastard had to fuck everything up.” 

Conner was practically speechless. He knew Rose was angry, he was too, but this was nothing he’d ever seen before. There was such hate in her eyes. “It’s not fair, I know.” Was all he could say. Rose didn’t reply, so Conner sat next to her on the floor and held her while she cried. He didn’t know what to do.

Back at Dinah and Laurel’s apartment, Laurel was holding Dinah’s hand as they sat together on the couch. They weren’t really talking, because neither of them knew what to say, but the silence was eating them up. So, they continued to sit in uncomfortable silence until Laurel’s phone rang.

“I’ll be right back.” She said, standing up and walking into the other room. “Hello?” 

“ _Hey, Laurel, it’s Skylar._ ” They said. 

“Oh, hey Skylar, how is everything?” Laurel asked. She really didn’t have the energy to be excited about things right now. 

“ _Things are pretty good, everything is going well so far. But the reason I called was actually about you._ ” Skylar paused. “ _Remember what I told you? Did you do it yet?_ ” 

Laurel sighed. “Skylar, now is not a good time for that.” 

“ _Oh. Is everything okay?_ ” Skylar asked, their tone becoming more concerned. 

“No, not really. A friend of ours, this girl we hired right after you left, just died.” Laurel explained. She swallowed her tears. “We’re all taking it really hard.” 

“ _Oh my god, I’m so sorry._ ” Skylar said. “ _Is there anything Kate and I could do from here?_ ” They asked. 

“I don’t think so. There’s not really something anyone can do.” Laurel replied. “Thank you, though. I appreciate it.” 

“ _Anytime. If you ever need us, call._ ” Skylar said. “ _Alright, I gotta go, but I wish you guys well. Tell Dinah, Rose, and Conner I’m sorry and that Kate and I are here if they need us._ ”

“Thanks Skylar. I’ll talk to you soon.” Laurel said. She hung up the phone and put her head in her hands. She paused for a second before going back to Dinah. 

“Who was that?” Dinah asked when Laurel sat down next to her again. 

“Skylar.” She answered. “They were just checking on us.” 

“You told them?” 

Laurel nodded. “I didn’t want to because it’s a lot to take, but they could tell something’s wrong.” Laurel said. 

“Yeah. It is.” Dinah sighed. They went back to silence for a little longer. “Claire’s funeral is in two days.” Dinah said suddenly. 

Laurel was a little taken aback. “Really? That’s soon.” 

“I know, but I tried to track down her parents online but it took me a long time, and when I finally did they didn’t care.” Dinah said, her anger starting to come back. 

“They don’t care?” Laurel asked, getting equally frustrated. “How can they not care?” 

“I don’t know, but I guess it’s just up to us now.” Dinah said. She stood up. “I’ll be back.” 

“Where are you going?” Laurel asked. 

“I’m going to get my anger out.” Dinah replied. “I need some air.” Laurel nodded. When Dinah wanted to get her anger out, she went for a run. So, Laurel told herself she wasn’t worried about where Dinah was going. 

Laurel lied. What if Dinah was going to do something destructive? Laurel had just let her go, and didn't even try to stop her. Yes, having Rose and Conner around her helped, but Laurel knew the pain she was in. It got the better of you, no matter how hard you tried to push it away.

Dinah had only been gone for ten minutes and Laurel was already pacing nervously around their apartment. She checked her watch every five minutes, or what she thought was every five minutes, but in reality it was about every thirty seconds. She debated going out to make sure everything was okay, but she kept telling herself everything would be fine. After fifteen minutes, she lost her internal struggle and grabbed her jacket and rushed out the door. Something felt off, and Laurel had to investigate it. 

Laurel started her search by going up to the roof, hoping to see Dinah below. The wind was howling and the night air was cool, and she understood why Dinah had to get outside. It was almost like her thoughts became calmer and more clear. And that’s when she realized what Dinah’s plan was. 

“Shit.” Laurel said to herself. She started running. She had to get to Dinah before it was too late. Laurel needed to stop her. She debated calling Sara to get her there quicker, but that would probably take longer in the end. So she was left with running and hoping for the best. “Dinah, goddamnit, don’t do what I think you’re going to do.” Laurel muttered. Finally, she got to the roof of the warehouse she knew Dinah would be at. How she knew that was beyond her. 

Laurel was standing on the roof on the opposite side of Dinah. Her back was to Laurel, and there was someone in front of her who she was speaking to. Jacob. She was also wearing her Black Canary suit, but Laurel hadn’t seen her put it on. She made a note to ask about that later. Now, her goal was to get to Dinah before she made a mistake. 

“Don’t kill me, I don’t deserve to die.” Jacob pleaded. 

“Don’t deserve to die?” Dinah repeated. Her voice was steady, and the anger in it even made Laurel a little afraid. “You killed Claire. In cold blood. For what? Because she left you? After you abused her? You stole the life from this girl, and for that, you need to pay.” 

“Look, I’m sorry, just turn me in, but don’t kill me.” Jacob begged again, putting his hands behind his head. 

“Do you really think I’d let that happen?” Dinah asked. She pulled a knife from her belt, and she almost stabbed him. Thankfully, Laurel got there in time and grabbed her wrist before she went through with it. 

“Don’t do this.” Laurel whispered to her. “I know you’re in pain, and I know he deserves it, but god, Dinah, I beg of you, don’t do this.” Laurel said. 

Dinah pulled back. “What are you doing here?” She asked. 

“Stopping you from doing something you’ll regret.” Laurel replied.

“How did you even find me?” Dinah asked, anger and pain in her eyes. 

“I’ll always find you.” Laurel answered. “You can’t do this.”

“I can.” She pulled her arm away and raised her voice. “And I will.” Dinah pushed past Laurel and prepared to stab Jacob again. Not knowing what else to do, Laurel kicked him out of the way so Dinah only grazed his arm. 

“D, please.” 

“Who’s side are you on?” Dinah yelled. 

Laurel’s jaw nearly dropped. “Yours. Always yours. And I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t.” 

Dinah paused. She let go of the knife and let it fall to the ground. “Fine.” She grabbed Jacob and pulled him to his feet and dragged him away, leaving Laurel alone on the rooftop. She didn’t know whether to go home or wait for Dinah to come back, or if she would. Laurel didn’t know how long she stood there, waiting, but once the wind started to pick up Laurel decided to go home. She prayed that Dinah would be there waiting for her.

Thankfully, she was. Laurel saw that the light was on, so before she went in she had to mentally prepare herself. She had no idea what would be waiting for her behind the door, and based on how Dinah left, she didn’t think it would be good. 

“You’re home.” Dinah said when Laurel finally opened the door. She was leaning on the kitchen counter but didn’t look up. 

Laurel shut the door and leaned back against it. “So are you.” She replied softly. “What happened, Dinah?” 

“I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you’re asking.” Dinah answered flatly. “I dropped him off at the police station.” 

“That’s not what I meant.” Laurel said. Dinah finally looked at her, and the two of them waited for the other to speak again. 

“I couldn’t live with myself. Not while he was still alive.” Dinah began. “I don’t know what came over me. When I left I don’t think I even planned on killing him, it just seemed-” Dinah cut herself off. 

“Seemed what?” Laurel asked lightly. 

“Natural.” Dinah let out a hysterical laugh. “How can I even think that? How can I think that killing someone is natural? I didn’t even second guess myself. I just let it happen. And to think that I used to think I was a good person.” 

“You are a good person, D.” 

“How can you even say that?”

“You pulled me back from the edge. Multiple times.” Laurel started. Dinah opened her mouth to interrupt but Laurel kept talking. “Whenever I needed someone there for me, there you were. When I left, you came looking for me, you brought me back. Without even a thought. How can I not say that?” Laurel moved closer to Dinah and took her hands. “Look at me, Dinah. I would’ve done the same thing. And you would’ve pulled me back. We aren’t perfect, but at least we’re trying.” 

“At least we’re trying.” Dinah repeated. “I know you’re right, but I can’t help it.” 

“I know.” 

“I’m glad you’re here with me, Laurel. Even if I keep trying to push you away.” Dinah said. Laurel wrapped her arms around her and Dinah relaxed into her. 

“I’ll always be here for you.” 

“I’m sorry.” Dinah said, pulling away after a couple seconds. “I feel like I’m always saying that these days. But I’m sorry that I went after him, I’m sorry you had to stop me, and I wish I wasn’t such a goddamn mess.” 

“It’s okay, that’s why I’m here. I love you, Dinah. I’m always going to be here for you.” Laurel replied. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two days went by, and it was the day of Claire’s funeral. It was only going to be Dinah and Laurel, and Rose and Conner. The four of them went to the cemetery around ten in the morning, and it was very foggy and there was a light drizzle. Rose had gotten a little better and was starting to process her grief a little more, and Dinah was on her way to doing so as well. 

“How are you doing?” Conner asked Laurel once they arrived. 

“Well, you know.” Laurel replied. Conner nodded. “You?” 

He shrugged. “The same, I guess. Rose seems better lately, which is good. It’s going to take awhile, but at least we are going in the right direction, right?” 

“Yeah, that’s what matters.” 

“How’s Dinah?” Conner asked. 

“Making some progress.” Was all Laurel said. Conner understood, and they retired into silence as they watched Rose and Dinah talk. 

“Does it get any easier?” Rose asked Dinah. 

“What, losing people?” 

“Yeah. Does that get easier?” 

“Considering all the people I’ve lost, you’d think the answer would be yes.” Dinah replied. “It doesn’t. But at least we have each other, right? I know I’d be lost without you guys.” 

“Me too.” The four of them regrouped, and stood in front of Claire’s grave. “I’d like to say something, if that’s okay.” Rose said, placing a couple roses in front of Claire’s name. 

“Go ahead.” Laurel said. 

“I’ve known Claire for a long time. And while we definitely clashed when we first met, I’m glad we reconnected. I only knew this Claire for a short amount of time, but in the time I got close to her. Even though finding her again is part of the reason for this pain, I would never regret it for a second.” Rose said, tears already streaming down her face. “From when I met her to when she died, she changed so much. More than I ever could’ve imagined. She taught me that everyone is capable of change, and I will never forget her.” 

Rose stepped back and leaned against Conner, who put an arm around her. “Anyone else?” He asked. 

“Yeah, I’ll say something.” Laurel spoke up. “I met Claire in a fairly unconventional way. Saving her from an unpleasant interaction with her ex. The moment I met her I knew there was something special there. And she came back, got a job, and she came into our lives. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if we, especially Claire, would've been spared this pain if she hadn’t come back, but then I really it’s useless to think like that. Then she never would’ve spent time with us. To live a life devoid of pain is no life at all.” Laurel looked right at Dinah when she said the next part. “We will never know if Claire regretted meeting us. But I don’t think she would. We gave her a place she belonged, and even though it was short lived at least it was something.” 

They all stood in front of Claire’s grave, none of saying anything because there wasn’t much left to be said. Eventually, Conner and Rose said they needed to go, so that left Dinah and Laurel by themselves. The rain was starting to come down harder, but neither of them could really move. 

“I wish we could’ve done more for you, Claire.” Dinah said softly after a long time. A tear rolled down her face. “I’m sorry.” Laurel put her arm over Dinah’s shoulders, and pulled her closer. 

“We’ll see you on the other side.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More angst. Who doesn't love that? I don't know when the next chapter will be up, could be a few days, could be a few weeks, I'm trying to be consist but life gets in the way, you know? 
> 
> Enjoy this, and please let me know what you think. Yalls comments always make me smile


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is a little happier than some of my other chapters, not by much though. Also, sorry this took so long there's been a lot of shit going on so updates will be less frequent, but I'm shooting for one a week now. 
> 
> TW: mentions of PTSD dreams

Time passed. They healed, slowly but surely. After about a week from Claire’s funeral, Dinah opened up the bar again. She worked too much, but Laurel came down more often to help. No one talked nearly as much, but as time went on they found it easier to make conversation. There were still nights where Dinah could see Claire’s blood on her hands, and where she and Laurel woke up in the middle of the night shaking. They didn’t get much sleep anymore, but they had each other. The dreams about Claire were becoming less frequent, but older memories had started to resurface. 

Rose started to have permanent bags under her eyes. Every so often, Rose would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. The first time it happened, Conner called Dinah and Laurel asking what to do. He sounded terrified and could barely get the words out. The two women had far too much experience with this, both with being comforting and being the one comforted, so they could easily tell him how to help her. It was an unfortunate talent to have. Sometimes, there were days Rose slept through the night but Conner couldn’t bring himself to rest. He remembered what Laurel told him, about not pushing down his own feelings, and he was trying his best. 

Two weeks after Claire’s funeral, Dinah was finally able to bring herself to hire someone else. She found two new people, and told herself that it wasn’t because she was afraid of history repeating itself. One was a fairly young girl, right out of high school, named Ali, and she mostly kept to herself. Every so often Dinah would find her staring into space in a daze, but once she noticed Dinah saw her she would snap out of it. The other was a guy named Jack, who seemed like a really friendly person. Laurel had only had one conversation with him, and she found out that he was working his way through college. Both Ali and Jack had realized the energy in the bar, and knew something had happened but they were too scared to ask. 

“Do you know what happened?” Jack whispered to Ali one day. She shook her head. He nodded in the direction of Laurel, who was talking to Conner, and both of them seemed agitated. “It’s a little weird. I hope everything is okay.” 

Ali paused and glanced over at them. “Me too.” She said softly. 

“So how’d you get here?” Jack asked, trying to make conversation. The two of them had never really talked to each other, although their schedules were very similar. 

“Just graduated high school. Trying to pay for college.” Ali answered. “You?” 

“Working through college, I’m in my junior year.” Jack sighed. He laughed lightly. “I kind of… ran out of money quicker than I thought.” Ali gave him a small smile, and then they both got back to work. 

Later that night, Dinah was sitting at the table picking at her food. “What is it, D?” Laurel asked. 

“I want to be there for Jack and Ali like I am for Conner and Rose, and how I was with Skylar, Kate, and-” Dinah said. “Claire. I’ve kept my distance from them because I’m afraid of getting too attached, and that isn’t what I wanted to do.”

Laurel nodded. “I understand, I’m scared of losing anyone else too. But we can’t just assume something bad will happen to them. What happened with Claire was probably-” 

“Just a one time thing, I know.” Dinah took a deep breath. “Everytime I try to go and talk to one of them, alarms go off in my head telling me to protect myself.” 

“Yeah. Me too.” Laurel said. “Well, we can’t ignore them forever, so I guess we should try to get to know them better now.”

“You’re right. Tomorrow I’ll talk to them a little more, and it’ll be fine.” Dinah said. “It’ll be fine.” She repeated. 

“It will be.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Morning, Dinah.” Ali said when she came in for work. 

“Good morning, Ali.” Dinah said. She took a second to breathe and told herself everything was fine. “So, Ali, you got a story? What brings you here?” 

“Not much. Paying for college.” Ali said. Dinah looked at her like she expected Ali to keep going. “You’re looking for more, aren’t you?” 

Dinah grinned. “Yep, that’s what I do.” 

“Okay.” Ali paused. “Was in foster care for most of my life. Never lived in a house more than half a year, but I managed to get into a pretty good college and now I’m trying to pay for it.” 

“Interesting.” Dinah replied.

“That’s one word for it.” Ali said.

“If you ever need anything at all, let me know. It’s part of the deal, when you work here.” Dinah told her. “I’d say we’re like a family, but I hate when people say that when they don’t mean it, so I’ll just say that we look out for each other.” 

“Noted. Thank you.” Ali said. She left and went back to work. Dinah silently congratulated herself on not running away in the middle of that conversation. While she got through it, it was hard not to think about the fact that she might meet the same end as Claire. That was always on the forefront of her mind these days. 

Dinah sighed and looked around. She wished Laurel was in the bar so that she could tell her how it went. Since she had no one to go to, she just waited until Jack came in to talk to him. After that, everything should get easier. Dinah really hoped that the whole process would just speed up. 

“Good morning, Dinah.” Jack said cheerfully. “How are you today?” 

“Not too bad, how are you?” Dinah asked, a little taken aback by his good mood. It’s been awhile since someone in the bar was that happy. 

“I’m great.” Jack replied. He couldn’t stop smiling.

“What is it?” Dinah said. He looked a little confused, so Dinah elaborated. “Look, no one is normally that happy for no reason.” She added with a laugh. 

“Well, since you asked, I might as well tell you.” Jack said. “So, there’s this boy who is the cutest person in the world, and I’ve been hanging out with him, causally, you know, just building a foundation, and oh my god, last night, he finally kissed me.” Jack explained. “Honestly, I still feel like I’m floating.” 

“That’s great, Jack. I know how you feel.” Dinah said. 

“Does it ever stop feeling like that?” He asked. 

Dinah laughed. “Nope, not really. I still get that feeling all the time.” Dinah told him. It was mostly true, the only reason she didn’t feel like that right now was because of Claire. But honestly, every single moment with Laurel has felt like a dream. 

“Good.” Jack said. He paused and drummed his fingers on the bar for a second. “Can I ask you a question?” 

“Of course, go ahead.” 

“Okay, I don’t mean to sound rude, but what’s going on?” Jack asked. “I mean, I could be wrong, but I feel like the energy in here is a little, off? I’m not sure what it is usually like but I don’t think it’s like this. I mean, everyone here is great and super nice but I still feel like-” Jack continued, starting to ramble. 

“You’re not wrong, there is something going on.” Dinah stopped him, her face falling. “A couple weeks ago, a waitress we had all really started to love passed away.” Dinah explained. She cringed at her own phrasing. ‘Passed away’ is a great way to say ‘killed by her abusive ex-boyfriend in cold blood.’ But, she figured Jack was exactly ready to know the details. 

“Oh, god.” Jack said, putting a hand over his mouth. “I’m so sorry. That’s awful.” 

“Yeah, I know.” Dinah said. “It’s hard to figure out what to say, right?” Dinah asked once she saw how much Jack was at a loss for words. 

“Yeah, it is.” Jack said. “Well, I know I just got here, but I will try my best to keep the mood light.” 

“Thanks, Jack.” Dinah said. “See you around.” She added as she got back to work.

“I figured it out.” Jack whispered to Ali when they were next to each other. She just raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I didn’t figure it out, I just asked.” 

“Care to elaborate?” Ali asked.

“It turns out they lost one of their older staff members. Pretty recently, too.” Jack explained. 

Ali paused while she thought about it. “That’s horrible.” 

“I know.” Jack said. “But it explains why it is always so… tense.”

“True.” Ali replied. She left to get back to work without another word. 

After a few hours, everyone left and Dinah shut down the bar. While she was locking the doors when Laurel came down. 

“Sorry, Laurel, it’s closing time.” Dinah called to her. 

Laurel laughed. “I see how it is.” 

“What’s up?” Dinah asked. 

“I… I don’t know. I felt like coming down here.” Laurel said hesitantly. 

Dinah gave her a confused look. “Okay… You want a drink?” 

“Sure.” Laurel sat down while Dinah poured her something. “How did today go?” 

“Fine. I talked to Jack and Ali, it was easier than I thought it would be but it was still kind of hard.” Dinah said. 

“Well, progress is progress.” Laurel said. “What’d you find out?” 

“Ali grew up in foster care, and she said she never stayed in one place for awhile. But she managed to get into a good college.” Dinah said. “You know, she doesn’t talk much, but she seems really nice.” 

“That’s good, sucks about her home life though.” Laurel said. “What about Jack?” 

“I didn’t find out his background, because he came in in such a good mood so I asked about that instead. There’s this boy he liked, and they ‘finally’ kissed last night.” Dinah replied, pouring herself a drink. 

“Sweet.” Laurel said. “He always looks really upbeat whenever I’m here.” 

“Yeah.” Dinah paused and took a long drink. 

“What is it?” Laurel asked. 

“He asked me what happened.” Dinah said. “He said he could tell something was off, and just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” 

“What did you tell him?” 

“The truth.” Laurel raised an eyebrow. “Not the whole truth.” Laurel nodded. They didn’t talk much after that for a while. 

“Sometimes I still miss it.” Laurel said suddenly. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Going out every night. Fighting for the city. We got hurt, we lost people, we lost fights, and some of those experiences were traumatizing, so I don’t know why I miss it. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t easy, but I got used to it. Losing people was easier because it-” 

“Because it happened more often.” Dinah finished for her. Laurel nodded. “I think that’s why Claire’s death hurts so much. We got used to people staying in our lives.” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Laurel sighed and looked down at her drink. 

“I miss it too, you know. It’s not just you.” Dinah added. “It wasn’t normal, but we could count on the unpredictability.”

Laurel looked up. “How did we get here?” 

“I don’t actually know anymore.” Dinah said. She let out a dry laugh. “Well, at least we have each other.” 

“That we do.” 

“I’d be lost without you, Laurel.” Dinah said, getting serious all of a sudden. 

“I’d be lost without you too.” Laurel pulled Dinah closer and rested her forehead on hers. “We’ve been through a lot of shit, but we always find our way through it.” 

“I love you.” Dinah gave her a kiss. 

“Love you too.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conner woke up seemingly for no reason, but he opened his eyes to an empty bed. It was still dark, so there shouldn’t be a reason for Rose not being next to him. He rolled over and checked the clock. It was only three in the morning. Standing up, he put his head in his hands and groaned quietly. Hopefully, Rose was just in the bathroom or something and nothing was wrong. He left their room and saw that the light was on in the kitchen. 

“Rose?” He called out groggily. 

“Hey.” Rose whispered quietly. She was sitting on the counter drinking what appeared to be tea. She was wrapped in a blanket and had bags under her eyes.

“Did you have another dream?” Conner asked, hopping up to sit next to her. Without thinking she opened her arms and added the blanket to his shoulders. “Thanks.” 

“Yeah, I did.” Rose answered. “Did I wake you up?” 

“You’re good, I woke up anyway.” Conner answered. “Is it the same thing it always is?” 

Rose nodded and took a sip of her tea. “I wasn’t even there, but I can’t stop picturing it. Everytime I go to sleep I dream about it, and it starts off differently each time but the end is always the same. Claire always dies.” 

“I’m so sorry, Rose.” Conner said. “I wish there was something I could do. I just want to help you.” 

“You’re helping me just by being here.” Rose said. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be okay. In time. Don’t know what I’ll do until then, though.” 

“What do you mean?” Conner asked. 

Rose sighed. “I can’t sleep, and if I do manage to fall asleep it is plagued by nightmares and I end up more tired than I would’ve been if I had just stayed awake all night. I hate this.” 

“Me too.” Conner said. “I can’t say I know exactly what you’re feeling, but I understand how much pain you must be in.”

Rose leaned on his shoulder. “Is it weird for me to wish I was there? Just so I could have maybe tried to save her? I know Dinah did everything she could, I don’t doubt that, but maybe if it was a little different things might have…” Rose trailed off. 

“No, I don’t think that’s weird.” Conner replied. “I kind of wish I was there sometimes too, maybe things would’ve played out differently.” 

“At least it isn’t just me.” Rose said. She paused for a second. “How did Dinah and Laurel do this all the time? I can’t imagine how hard it must have been when this was a normal thing for them.”

“I can’t believe losing people was considered normal for them.” Conner added. “It must have been so hard to wake up knowing that either you or someone you’ve gotten close to is going to be in danger.” 

“I could never live that life.” 

“Me neither.” Conner said. They were quiet for a while, Rose was drinking her tea and Conner was leaning on her shoulder. After a few minutes passed Rose spoke up. 

“I think I want to go back to sleep.” Rose said. 

“You do?” 

“Yeah, I mean, you’re with me, which helps, and staying up all night won’t help.” Rose replied. She grabbed Conner’s hand and the two of them got off the counter and walked back to their room. 

“If you wake up again, wake me up too.” 

“Okay. Thanks, Conner.” Rose gave him a quick kiss before getting into bed. “Love you.” 

“Love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, a couple things. Yes, I introduced new characters, no, I'm not going to make you get attached to them just to kill them off. I wouldn't do that. At least not again. Secondly, we are approaching the end of this fic unless I think of anything new I can throw at them, so, just a warning for you guys. 
> 
> Let me know what you think, I appreciate any and all comments, and happy holidays!


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to write only like 2 more chapters, but then I had this idea and I kinda ran with it so... enjoy 
> 
> TW: Mentions of PTSD dreams, nothing explicit though   
> yeah sorry i've been doing that so much, that'll end soon

Laurel woke up the next morning with a headache. It was a step up, considering both she and Dinah slept through the night, but it was still annoying. She didn’t think that she drank that much, so it didn’t make sense. 

“Laurel, you okay?” Dinah asked when Laurel came downstairs. 

“Yeah, just a headache.” Laurel said. “Maybe I’m hungover.” 

“We didn’t even drink that much.” Dinah said. “I think you’re just getting old.” 

“Hey!” Laurel exclaimed. Dinah just laughed. “I see how it is.” Laurel rolled her eyes and tried to look mad, but ultimately failed. 

“The good news is, we both slept through the night.”

“That is very good news.” Laurel replied. “Hopefully we can continue that streak.” 

“Yes, that would be refreshing.” Dinah said, handing her a coffee. It was good that the two of them were back to joking with each other, they were still grieving but that past couple of weeks has helped them deal with it. 

“How do you think Rose and Conner are doing?” Laurel asked after a little while. 

“I don’t know. Conner told us Rose was having dreams, and she doesn’t have the experience with them that we do.” Dinah responded. 

“Is it bad that I’m a little jealous of her?” 

Dinah laughed. “Probably, but I am too.” 

“I wish there was some advice we could give her but we barely know how to deal with them.” Laurel said. “It’s just something we’ve gotten used to.” 

“That’s probably not healthy.” Dinah said. Laurel nodded. “We don’t have time to unpack all that, though.” 

“Nope.” Laurel took a sip of her coffee. “She’ll be okay. She’s strong, and Conner is there for her.” 

“Yeah, they’ll be fine. Speaking of them, I should probably go to work.” Dinah said. “Will you be okay?” 

“I think I’ll be alright. I’ll probably just lay down for a while.” 

“Okay. Let me know if you need anything.” Dinah gave her a kiss on her forehead and left. 

“Good morning, Dinah.” Rose said in the middle of a yawn. 

“Morning, Rose.” Dinah said. She looked over to her and saw the bags under her eyes. “Is everything okay?” 

“Everything’s fine.” Rose said, rather unconvincingly. “Just didn’t sleep much last night.” 

Dinah nodded. “If you need anything, let me know, okay?” 

Rose gave her a weak smile. “Okay. Thanks.” 

“And how are you today, Conner?” Dinah asked when he walked up beside them. 

“Also tired.” Conner said, with a slightly more convincing smile. “But it’s not for the reason you think!” He rushed out. 

Rose laughed, which was a sound neither of them had heard in a while. Dinah smiled, more at the fact that Rose seemed to be doing better. 

“Well now that’s what I’m thinking.” Dinah said. She left with a wink. 

Conner’s face was red, and Rose was still smiling. “You are really cute, you know.” She said. 

Conner only blushed more. “Thanks.” He said. Rose gave him a kiss and then they got to work. 

Jack came in later, as happy as usual, but Ali never showed up. Rose kept glancing at Dinah, who was visibly concerned. 

“I’m sure it’s nothing.” Rose assured her. “She probably just didn’t feel well.” 

“You’re probably right.” Dinah said, nervously drumming her fingers on the bar. “Still.” 

“I know.” Rose said. “You could always call her, see what happens. That can’t hurt.” 

“True. I’ll be right back.” Dinah said. “You good to watch over everything for a second?” 

“Of course.” Rose replied. Dinah went to the back room and took out her phone to call Ali. Her finger was hovering over the call button for a few seconds because she was arguing with herself. Part of her was saying that she was just being paranoid, but the other part was telling her something was wrong. Deciding that it is better to be safe than sorry, she called.

“ _Hello?_ ” Ali said after two rings. 

Dinah breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey Ali, I was just calling to make sure everything was okay.”

“ _Dammit. I’m sorry, I don’t feel great. I meant to call but I must’ve fallen back asleep. So sorry._ ” She said.

“No worries. Feel better.” 

“ _Thanks._ ” Dinah hung up and sighed. She sat down for a second to collect her thoughts. She was glad nothing was wrong, but she was trying to think if she was more paranoid after Claire, or if she had always been this way. Her life wasn’t what you would consider stable, so she was already like this, but she didn’t know if she had gotten worse. 

Calling that a problem for another day, she left and to go back to work. The day went by fairly quickly, nothing major happened and they were pretty busy. Although, Laurel didn’t come down like she usually did. Dinah wanted to go up and see if she was okay but couldn’t find a good time. 

“Conner, could you do me a favor?” She asked. He nodded. “Can you go upstairs and check on Laurel? Normally she would be here by now, and I know she had a headache this morning so I want to see if she’s okay.” 

“Of course, I’ll be right back.” Conner replied. Dinah thanked him and he went upstairs. He knocked on their door. “It’s me, Laurel.” He called. 

“Come in.” Laurel said. She tried not to groan when she sat up. Her head was still killing her, and it just hurt to move. “What’s up?” 

Conner came and sat across from her. “Dinah wanted me to check on you.” He answered. 

Laurel glanced at the clock. “Shit, I’m usually down there by now. I didn’t mean to worry her, I just lost track of time.” 

“So you’re okay?” Conner asked. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Laurel lied. In reality, she felt like crap, but she’d get over it soon. “How are things with you? I can’t help but notice how tired you look.” 

“It was just one of those nights.” Conner said. “It sucks, because all I want to do is make sure Rose is okay but I don't even know if I’m okay. I just push that aside and hope for the best.” 

“Conner, don’t compartmentalize your emotions.” Laurel said strictly. 

“Isn’t that what you do?” 

Laurel rolled her eyes but laughed. “Yes, and it doesn’t work.” Conner shook his head. “No, but seriously, don’t. It gets really easy to do that with everything, and before you know it you forget how to actually feel things. And then maybe you become a cold-hearted vengeful bitch.” 

“That’s… specific.” Conner said. “You know, I would ask, but I feel like I wouldn’t like the answer.”

“You would not.” 

“Good to know.” Conner replied. “Thank you, Laurel. I’ll take your advice, I know you’re right.” 

“Fantastic. I love being right.” Laurel said while laying back down. “Can you tell Dinah that I’m okay? My head still hurts, so I’m just going to rest here until she comes home. I’m really fine, though. Don’t worry.” 

“Yeah, of course. Feel better.” Conner said. He looked like he was about to leave, but then he paused. “Can I ask you a question?”

“You always say that before you ask me something, and have I ever said no?” Laurel replied. Conner laughed. “Go ahead.” 

“Is the reason you know so much about how to deal with this stuff because of your time as the Black Canary?” He asked. 

“Yeah. For the most part.” Laurel responded. Conner looked confused, but she knew he wasn’t going to press more so Laurel offered up the information freely. “A long time ago, I was not a very good person. It was before I was the Black Canary. There was a lot going on and I just… lost sight of myself. Dinah’s actually the one who pulled me out of that.” 

“Really? I guess I always thought you and Dinah were always heroes.” Conner said. 

“We both came from… questionable backgrounds. But we’re both good now, and for the most part I’d say we’re happy.” Laurel said. “Even with all the crap it left us with. You and Rose will be fine in time, don’t worry.” 

“I hope you’re right.” Conner said. “Well, thank you again. This helped.” 

“Of course.” 

“Alright, well, feel better.” He said as he walked out the door. He walked back downstairs to the bar and went to talk to Dinah. 

“How is she?” Dinah asked before Conner even opened his mouth. 

“She said that she still has a little bit of a headache, but she’s okay. She’s just going to rest for the rest of the day.” Conner said. 

Dinah breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, good. That takes off some stress.” 

“Good. And she gave me some advice on how to deal with… everything.” Conner said. “So yeah, everything is okay.” 

“Great. I don’t know why I was so worried.” Dinah said. Conner smiled and left to go back to work. Later, someone requested a song and surprisingly, Dinah accepted with little hesitation. 

As always, everyone loved it. The bar applauded, and Dinah got the same rush she always did. Finally, things seemed to be getting back to normal. Rose was laughing more, Conner seemed more at ease, and even Jack seemed to be fitting in with everyone after only being there for a short time. He came over to talk to her after she sang. 

“Your voice is amazing.” He said. “How did I not know that you could sing?” 

Dinah smiled. “Thank you! It’s been awhile since I’ve sang here.” The ‘not since Claire’ was left unsaid, but they both knew what she meant. 

“Well, I hope to hear it again soon.” Jack told her before he got back to work. 

As soon as Conner had closed the door, Laurel rubbed her temples and groaned. Everything hurt. Why did she always tell Dinah she was fine? She hadn’t felt this bad in such a long time. She hoped that Dinah would be home soon, but at the same time she didn’t want her to worry. Yes, Laurel had survived much worse, but still, Dinah would worry and Laurel hated worrying her. So of course she said she was fine, even though it was a complete lie. 

Deciding she might as well try and sleep, Laurel closed her eyes and pulled a blanket over herself. Once Dinah got home Laurel could ask her for some help, but until then Laurel didn’t have anything better to do. So, about two hours of restless sleep went by. 

“Dinah, come home please.” Laurel whispered to herself after finally giving up. God, she felt awful. When was the last time she had felt this bad? There had been a lot of injuries, but not like this. Those injuries didn’t make her feel like her entire body was shutting down. There was that one time where she’d been poisoned- 

Shit. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Laurel isn’t answering her phone.” It was the end of the day, and Dinah wanted to call Laurel to see if she wanted to come down for a drink if she was feeling better. 

“She might just be asleep.” Rose offered, seeing how anxious Dinah was getting. “And you can always just go upstairs, make sure everything is okay.” 

“Yeah, you’re right. I just need to finish closing everything up, maybe cleaning a few-” 

“Dinah. Go upstairs and check on your girlfriend.” Rose interrupted. “I’ll take care of everything, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Okay. Thanks, Rose.” Dinah said. 

“Of course. Go.” Rose replied. “Do you think everything is okay?” Rose asked Conner once Dinah was out of earshot. 

“I don’t know. Laurel seemed pretty okay, but it’s so hard to get a read on her, especially when she wants to keep something from you.” Conner answered. 

“True. I hope everything is fine.” 

“Me too.” 

Dinah knocked on the door before going in. She didn’t know why, it was their apartment. But she did anyway, and got no response. It was fine, Laurel was probably just asleep. Dinah opened the door and saw a blanket left on the couch, surrounded by tissues that were covered in blood. 

“Oh my god, Laurel? Where are you?” Dinah called out urgently. “Laurel?” 

“In here.” She heard Laurel reply weakly. Laurel was sitting in the bathroom and looked like absolute shit. 

“Damnit Laurel, what’s going on? You look awful.” Dinah asked, sitting down next to her. 

“Thanks, you look great too.” She said sarcastically. She tried to laugh, but ended up coughing violently. She took her hands away from her face and they were covered in blood. 

“Laurel, I’m being serious. Tell me what’s happening.” 

“I don’t know. I’ve felt like shit all day, and the last time this happened was that one time I was poisoned.” Laurel told her. “I don’t know when that could’ve happened-” 

“It started this morning. So it had to have been last night.” Dinah said, her instincts kicking in. She stood up. 

“What is it?” Laurel asked, panic growing on her face. “Dinah? What?” 

“Fuck.” Dinah paused. “Laurel, what did you drink last night?” 

“I don’t know, I think some scotch? I remember after I tried it you told me that someone gave it to you.” Laurel said. “I think it was given to you by-” 

“Ali.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops. 
> 
> Sorry I've been taking so long with updates, but every time I lose my creative spark I'm afraid it's gone forever so the longer I go without writing the longer it takes to get motivated. 
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think and I hope you are all having a good day!


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyy so this update was pretty quick, but don't get used to it just yet. Anyway, this is a fun chapter that I definitely didn't project my emotions onto.
> 
> also, happy new year!

“Goddamnit.” Dinah put her head to her forehead. “She was out today. This has to be why. She had to have planned this.” 

“Wait, that doesn’t make sense, isn’t she in-” Laurel cut herself off by coughing. It was starting to get worse, and Laurel didn’t know how much time she had. 

“I know it doesn’t make sense, but there is no other explanation. There is nothing else it could be.” 

“But why would she do this?” 

Dinah threw her hands in the air. “I don’t know! But that isn’t my first priority.” 

“Well, if I make it, I’ve got a bone to pick with her.” Laurel said. She tried to muster up a grin but Dinah glared at her. 

“Why aren’t you taking this seriously? Laurel, you could die. No, you _might_ die because I have no goddamn clue what I’m doing! I don’t know how to fix this! What am I supposed to do?” Dinah yelled. “I’m sorry, Laurel. I’m just really fucking scared. I can’t lose you.” 

“Hey, D, I’m just trying to make it easier. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s going on either, I’m just trying my best to make it less scary.” Laurel sighed and leaned against the wall. “Dinah, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. You have to be ready for that. I know it’s scary… but we have to face that.”

“No. I won’t think like that, you shouldn’t either.” Dinah said firmly. “We need to figure this out _now._ ”

“D-” 

“Laurel. I’m not just going to let you die. You know that I would never be able to do that.” Dinah argued. 

“But D, you might have to. I think it might already be too late.” Laurel said. She reached for Dinah’s hand. “I love you. I love you more than anything, more than life itself. You are the greatest thing in my life. I’m so sorry we didn’t have more time.” 

Dinah crouched back down so she was eye level with Laurel. “Don’t talk like that. Please don’t talk like that.” A tear streamed down her face. She cradled Laurel’s face with her hand. “I can’t even begin to think of what might happen if I lost you.”

“You are everything to me, and if I don’t make it you have to know that-” Laurel started coughing again, and it was getting worse and worse.

“Laurel please, hang on.” She put her forehead against Laurel’s. “I’ve lost too much, I can’t lose you too. Not after everything. Stay with me.” 

“I’m trying.” Laurel took a shaky breath.

“I need a plan, I need to find a cure, or an antidote, or something to fix this.” Dinah said, talking mostly to herself. She stood up and started pacing. 

“Wait.” Laurel said, trying to sit up straighter. “What about those… things.” 

“That’s specific.” 

“No, the weird herbs Oliver had? From Lian Yu? Didn’t they help almost anything?” Laurel asked. “Do you think some of those are still in the old bunker?” 

“Maybe. It can’t hurt to check.” Dinah said. “That might be our only shot.” 

“Okay. I’ll go there, you go find Ali and see if you can find anything out from her.” Laurel said, using the wall to push herself up so she could stand. 

Dinah rushed over to her so she could support her. “Laurel, you can barely stand, I’m going by myself. Ali will have to wait.” 

“D, I’m fine, I can-” Once again, Laurel was interrupted by her violent coughing. She slid back down against the wall. “Okay.”

“I’m going to get Rose and send her up here to look after you until I get back.” Dinah said, putting on her leather jacket. “Don’t do anything that will speed this up.”

“I’ll be okay by myself for a little while, you don’t need to do that.” 

“Listen to me, Laurel. You were just fucking poisoned, and none of us know what the hell is going on. We don’t know what will happen to you in the next couple of hours. I’m sending Rose up here so she can call me so I can-” Dinah choked up for a second. “So I can say goodbye.” 

“Okay. I love you.” Laurel said. Dinah bent down and gave her a kiss, like it was the last one she could ever give her. 

“I love you. I promise I’ll come home with something to help you.” Dinah ran down to the bar and managed to stop Rose and Conner before they left. “I can’t explain right now, I need you guys to go upstairs and just… just take care of her, okay?” 

“Dinah, what’s going on?” Rose asked. “Is everything okay?” 

“I don’t have time, just go.” Dinah sprinted out the door and to her motorcycle. Within seconds they could hear the engine roaring as she sped down the street. 

Rose and Conner glanced at each other and rushed upstairs. Without even knocking they opened the door. “Laurel?” Conner called out. 

“Hey.” Laurel called. They moved towards her.

“Laurel… what’s going on? Are you okay?” Rose asked. 

“I feel fantastic. Like I could lift a car.” She said unconvincingly. She started coughing again. 

“What’s happening to you?” Rose asked. 

“Long story short, Ali poisoned me last night, I’m close to death, Dinah’s looking for something that can help me.” Laurel said. “Sorry. I never understood why people sugar coat things.” 

Rose and Conner were speechless for a minute. Conner spoke up first. “Are you serious?” Laurel nodded. “How… how did this happen?” 

“I don’t really know. We know it was Ali by-” Laurel paused to cough, again, more aggressively than before. “By the scotch I drank. It was from her.” 

“But why? Why would she do something so awful?” Rose asked, practically begging Laurel for an answer none of them had. 

Laurel shrugged. “I don’t know. Dinah’s looking to see if there’s anything left in our old bunker that can help.” 

“And if there isn’t?” Rose asked. 

“I… I think that’s it.” Everyone went silent for a couple minutes. “If the end starts getting close, can you call Dinah for me? Just so I can say goodbye before… you know.” 

Rose couldn’t answer, she was crying too much. Conner put a hand on Rose’s shoulder. “Of course, Laurel.” He said, wiping away a tear of his own. “Anything you need.” 

“I thought the world was going to give us a break.” Rose said after a while. “After Claire. I figured we deserved it.” 

“You never get a break.” Laurel said darkly. “It seems like it only gets worse.” 

“Just when things start to look up.” Conner added. 

“Sorry. That’s kind of depressing.” Laurel said. She coughed again. “You know, life is hard. It throws a ton of shit at you and doesn’t seem to give you a break. But, you know, I wouldn’t trade a second of these last few months. Of course, if I could fix some things I would, but someone once told me ‘life is beautiful, and terrible, all at the same time. But, if we’re only living part of it, we’re not living at all.’”

“Sounds like a smart person.” Conner said. 

“Sara. You guys met her.” 

“That feels like a million years ago.” Rose responded. 

“I know.” Laurel looked down at her hands, which were covered in her blood. “It’s funny how long ago all that was. I never realized it until now. But, I guess that’s what happens at the end.” 

“This can’t be the end of you, Laurel.” Rose said. “It can’t be.” Rose leaned on Conner’s shoulder and closed her eyes. 

“If this is the end… I want to thank you. For everything. You were always a friend to me, you gave me advice when I needed it, and I always, always, know that you would be there if I needed you.” Conner said. 

“Thank you. I’m sorry it’s come to this.” Laurel sighed. “Not what I thought would happen.” 

“Me neither.” Rose said. “I don’t think anyone could’ve seen this coming.” 

“Yeah.” Laurel closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. She didn’t want to admit it, but she didn’t think she’d still be here when Dinah got back. “God, please Dinah, come home.” She whispered to herself. 

Dinah didn’t remember the last time she went that fast. The last time she went down the street so fast the only thing she could hear was the wind. She didn’t care about the cold, she just had to get there. Get in, get out, save Laurel. 

Laurel. That was her only coherent thought. She just needed to save Laurel. Nothing else mattered. It didn’t matter who got in her way, it didn’t matter if she got hurt, it didn’t even matter if what she did was legal. They were well past that at this point. The only thing that mattered was Laurel. Ali barely crossed her mind, that’s how worried she was. All that would come later, it would be fine, as long as Dinah still had Laurel.

Finally, Dinah pulled in front of Oliver’s old campaign headquarters. She ran inside, pressed the button for the elevator, and waited impatiently as it brought her down. Once she got there, she flipped the lights on and frantically searched through everything. 

Nothing. She opened another drawer, nothing. Behind a cabinet. Nothing. She even took the time to break open a safe, and found nothing. At least twice Dinah debated just giving up and spending Laurel’s last minutes with her, but she didn’t want to come home empty handed. Not when she promised Laurel that when she came home she would have something to save her. Not when Laurel believed in her. 

God, she wished Oliver had told her where this stuff was. Or she had gone looking for it before the love of her life was on her deathbed. All things considered, no one could have seen this coming, but they should’ve been prepared. She should’ve done better. 

Finally, Dinah had found something. After opening every safe, digging through every drawer, she had actually found something that could be useful. It was a small wooden box that was hidden behind Oliver’s old armor stand. Before opening it, Dinah prayed that it wasn’t empty. 

“Thank god.” She whispered to herself. Those weird herbs from Lian Yu were there. They didn’t look appetizing, but that wasn’t the point. Now, the only thing that mattered was getting home in time. Moving as fast as she could Dinah raced back up to the main floor and sped down the street. Every passing moment felt wasted, like she was already too late. But Dinah told herself that she would make it, that there was still time. There had to be some time left. It wouldn’t end like this. 

“Laurel. You need to stay awake.” Conner begged. He shook her lightly. “Stay awake. Dinah will be home soon.” He lied. He had no idea when Dinah would be back, but she had to stay awake as long as possible. Conner looked at Rose with fear in his eyes. Rose just nodded solemnly. 

“Hey, Laurel? We’re going to call Dinah, okay? Just in case.” Rose said, trying to stay calm. 

“Okay.” Laurel forced out. Her body was shutting down. If she didn’t get help soon, she wasn’t going to make it. And they all knew that. 

Dinah felt her phone ring in her pocket. She knew it was Laurel, she knew it was almost the end, but she didn’t answer. She would be home in time. It would be fine. Everything was going to be fine, Laurel would still be there when she got home. 

“Conner… Dinah isn’t picking up.” Rose whispered. “She’s not picking up.” 

Conner rubbed his forehead. “Oh, god. Please tell me this isn’t happening.” Rose just looked at him with desperation in her eyes. There wasn’t much left either of them could say. “Okay, Laurel. Just hold on for a little bit longer.” 

Laurel grabbed his arm tightly. “I need you to tell her she means the world to me. Tell her she made me find meaning in life. That I am, or was, a good person because she made me one. Tell her I love her more than I could ever put into words.” She took a deep, and painful, breath. “And please, if anything, tell her I’m sorry.” 

“Of course.” Conner said. Both he and Rose had tears streaming down their face. Laurel smiled and closed her eyes. She was still breathing, but her heartbeat was weak, and it was only getting weaker. 

Dinah was already going as fast as she could, but she continued to try and will herself to go faster. After what seemed like only seconds but also hours, she finally pulled in front of the bar. Barely taking the time to shut the door behind her, Dinah ran through the bar, even going as far as to jump over tables, and sprinted up the stairs. She practically broke down the door when she opened it. 

Conner and Rose looked up at her with sad eyes when she entered. Laurel was laying with her head in Conner’s lap, and Rose was holding her hand. 

“Am I too late?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What the hell am I up to? 
> 
> I only ask because I too have no idea what I'm doing


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think I'd post today, but here we are. Also, there are only two or three chapters left, just a warning. They'll be happy, I promise, but I will scare you guys a bit. It makes me happy.

“Rose? Conner? Am I too late?” Dinah demanded again, her voice breaking. 

“I… I don’t know. She won’t wake up, and her heart is barely beating. I just don’t know, Dinah.” Rose said quietly. Dinah looked like she was on the verge of having her heart shattered. 

Dinah knelt down next to Laurel, and Rose and Conner moved out of the way. They got up and Conner grabbed Rose’s hand tightly. 

“Hey, Laurel. Wake up. Please, please, wake up.” Dinah murmured. She tilted Laurel’s head up and poured the mixture of Lian Yu herbs into her mouth. She pulled Laurel into her lap and cradled her in her arms. “I need you to wake up for me, okay? Please, I can’t lose you too.” 

Rose buried her head in Conner’s chest. He had tears streaming down his face. “Come on, Laurel, be strong.” He whispered. 

Dinah finally broke into tears. Her shoulders were shaking with her sobs. “I’m so sorry, Laurel. Please wake up. I can’t do this without you, I can’t live without you!” Dinah held her tighter. “Please, Laurel. I’m begging you. Don’t go like this. I love you, and you have to come back to me.” 

Conner put a hand on Dinah’s shoulder. “Dinah… I think you need to let her go. We were too late.” 

“No. No, I won’t accept that.” Dinah said. She gently brushed some hair away from Laurel’s face. “Come back to me. I know you can.” 

“He’s right, Dinah.” Rose said, barely able to get the words out. “I think she’s gone.”

Dinah shook her head. “She’s going to be fine.” Dinah said, mostly trying to convince herself. “She has to be. Because I can’t lose her, Rose. Not her.” 

“Dinah… I can’t imagine how hard this is, but-” Conner started.

“She means everything to me, and I can’t lose her. I love her so goddamn much, more than I could have imagined. There is nothing in this world that even compares, and I will not accept that she is just gone!” Dinah snapped. She held Laurel closer, and more protectively. “We’ve been through too much for that.”

Rose was speechless. Conner opened his mouth to say something but Rose shook her head. They’ve seen what Dinah was capable of, but they’ve never seen her this angry. Not even after Claire. 

Before either of them could work up the nerve to say something else, Laurel started coughing. It sounded violent and painful, but it was something. It meant she was alive. Still coughing, she sat up to try and breathe. After what seemed like forever, She managed to steady her breathing and was able to take in what had happened.

“Laurel.” Dinah forced out, still sobbing. “You’re alive.” Laurel nodded with tears in her eyes and collapsed into Dinah’s arms. “I love you. I love you, I love you, and please, never do that again.” Rose and Conner looked at each other and went to the other room to give them a minute alone. 

“I’ll try my best.” Laurel pulled away to wipe the tears from Dinah’s face. “I’m here.” 

“I thought I lost you.” Dinah whispered. “I don’t know what I would do if that happened. I wouldn’t be able to live if-” She cut herself off, not wanting to finish that thought. “I’m so glad you made it. I love you so much.” 

“I love you too.” Laurel pulled her in for a kiss. “Thank you for fighting for me.” 

“I’ll always fight for you. But don’t ever scare me like that again.” Dinah warned. “I can’t handle that anymore.” 

“I know.” They continued to hold each other on the floor until Rose and Conner came back in. Laurel pulled away from Dinah, and instead held onto her hand tightly. 

“Laurel, I’m so glad you’re okay.” Rose said. “Please, never do that again.” 

“I’ll try to avoid it.” She said, managing a small grin.

“How do you feel?” Rose asked. 

“Much better. Alive, which is a step up.” Laurel smiled. 

Conner laughed. “Well, at least it didn’t change you.”

“Thank you guys for staying with me. I really appreciated having you guys there with me.” 

“Of course.” Conner said. 

“I’m sorry for snapping at you guys earlier, I just-” Dinah began. 

Rose held up a hand. “No apology needed, I completely understand. It’s obvious how much you love her, and I would’ve done the same thing if it was Conner.” 

“Thank you.” 

“We’ll leave you two alone, and please, get some sleep. You both deserve it.” Conner said. Laurel and Dinah nodded, and Rose and Conner gave them both a hug before leaving.

“How are you really doing?” Dinah asked. “I can’t imagine you’re actually fine.” 

“I am far from it.” Laurel admitted. “I still feel the effects, and while they’re fading I still feel awful. And of course, there’s the added fun of almost dying, that’s always draining.” 

Dinah nodded. “Will you be okay?” 

“In time.” Laurel said. “I think soon enough I’ll recover.”

“Good. God, this was out of the blue.” Dinah replied. “I can’t believe this happened.” 

“Honestly, Ali picked the perfect time.” Laurel said. Dinah raised her eyebrows. “Well, we were all distracted with losing Claire, so we overlooked all the signs. If I wasn’t pissed I’d be impressed.” 

“I’m shocked that she did this. Even if she lied about just getting out of high school, she’s still really young. What’s her motive?” 

“I have no idea.” Laurel yawned. “Can we unpack this tomorrow? I don’t think I can be awake any longer.”

“Of course.” Dinah said. Laurel tried to push herself up but Dinah stopped her. “Nope. I’m not letting you walk upstairs. You still look incredibly weak, I’m not risking anything.” 

“Oh no, are you going to make me sleep on the couch again? Because I will crawl up the stairs.” Laurel crossed her arms. 

“No, I’m not leaving your side until you are back to a hundred percent. I’ll carry you up.” 

“Thank you.”

“Always.” Dinah picked Laurel up from off the ground and laid her down gently on their bed. “Are you going to be able to sleep?” 

“I think I’ll just pass out from exhaustion eventually.” Laurel said. Dinah laughed. “Are you?” 

Dinah sighed. “I doubt it. But it helps knowing that you’re safe.” 

“I am. Thanks to you.” Laurel took a deep breath, which looked mildly painful. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Dinah wrapped her arms around Laurel, and prepared herself for either more nightmares or another sleepless night.

Conner and Rose got home without any issue, which was a relief. There was very left that could go wrong, but with their luck, the world would find a way to make it happen. 

As soon as they got inside their apartment, Conner brought Rose in for a hug. She buried her face in his chest, trying not to cry. 

“I can’t take it anymore, Conner.” She said, looking up at him. “How do these things keep happening?” 

“I wish I knew.” Conner replied. “We’ll be okay. At least Laurel made it, she’ll be fine.” 

“Yeah, she will, and that’s great, but what about Ali?” 

“What do you mean? I feel like it won’t be hard for Dinah and Laurel to have her arrested.” 

“But why did she do this?” Rose asked. “It doesn’t make sense. What did Laurel do? What did any of us do?” Rose bit her lip. 

“You’re worried she’s going to come for the rest of us.” Conner finished for her. She nodded. “I don’t think they’ll let that happen.” 

“I know… but this happened. And it wasn’t their fault, of course, we had let our guard down, but still. What if we can’t see the next thing coming?” Rose closed her eyes. “I’m trying to think of a way where we all come out okay, and safe again, but I just can’t.” 

“Because Ali probably isn’t working alone. There was something that drove her to do this, and it was probably some form of revenge.” Conner said. He smiled a little. “You know, Dinah and Laurel are really rubbing off on us.” 

Rose laughed. “Yeah, I guess they are.” She thought for a second. “Honestly, the two of them probably already have a plan by now. I trust them.” 

“Me too. They’ll protect us.” Conner said. 

“Yeah. They will.” Rose gave him a kiss before the two of them went to bed.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just like she suspected, Dinah wasn’t able to fall asleep. She stayed in bed until Laurel woke up, and all through the night she was focused on Laurel’s breathing. Making sure it was normal, and she still was breathing in general. Last night was the closest Laurel had been to dying in a long time, it wasn’t even this close when she was stabbed. Dinah had to make sure that she was still fine.

Every ten seconds a new fear popped into Dinah’s head. What if she didn’t fully stop the poison? What if Ali planned for this? Is Laurel going to wake up? Was there something wrong with the stuff from Lian Yu? Would Ali try and do something again? Was she more powerful than any of them thought? Who was actually behind this? 

Dinah was pulled out of her spiral by Laurel rolling over to face her. “Good morning, Dinah.” Laurel said as she opened her eyes. 

“You’re awake.” 

“I hate how you sound surprised.” Laurel said, smiling sadly. 

“Trust me, I do too.” Dinah replied. She gave Laurel a kiss on the forehead. “How did you sleep?”

“Pretty well. Actually, better than I have in awhile. What about you?” Laurel asked. Dinah looked at her and shrugged. “You didn’t.” 

“I couldn’t.” 

“I’m sorry.” Laurel held her hand and kissed it. “That is definitely my fault.” 

“No, no, it’s not really-” Dinah started, trying to make sure Laurel didn’t feel guilty. 

“I know it is.” Laurel said. “I can’t imagine what last night must have been like for you. I don’t think I would’ve been able to handle it as well as you did.” 

“You would’ve been fine. And trust me, I don’t think I handled it all the well. I was a mess.” Dinah assured her. 

“Well, doesn’t matter, you saved me.” Laurel said. “And I am forever grateful.” 

Dinah brought her closer and wrapped her in a hug. “I’m just glad you’re here.” 

“Well, now we need a plan. For Ali.” Laurel pushed herself to a sitting position, with some difficulty. “That was harder than I thought it would be.” She admitted. 

“Please, be careful. I can’t do that again.” Dinah pleaded. Laurel nodded. “And you’re right. I need to figure what to do about her.” 

“Did you figure out anything while lying awake all night?” Laurel asked. 

“Actually, yes. This definitely wasn’t done randomly, it was definitely for revenge. Why? I don’t know.” Dinah said, getting out of bed. “I’m assuming something about the Black Canary? I don’t see where that really gets us, though.” 

“What about more recently? Did she do anything weird when she came, or is anything about the timing unusual?” 

“I don’t think so.” Dinah paused for a second to think about it. “You know what, yeah. I found Jack, but Ali came to me looking for a job. So she knew I was hiring, but that means she needed there to be an open position.” 

“I don’t even want to say this, but-” Laurel began. 

“I know what you’re going to say, and it is entirely possible. Extremely fucked up, but possible.” What they were referring to was Claire’s death. Ali might have had something to do with her getting shot.

“Can I ask more about that night?” Laurel asked. Dinah took a deep breath and nodded. “Are you positive it was Jacob who pulled the trigger?” 

“Yes. It was a hundred percent Jacob, I don’t doubt that. Especially if you consider his reaction when I went out to find him. It was him.” Dinah answered. “There could be some connection between Jacob and Ali.” 

“Should we start there?” Dinah nodded. “But you won’t let me leave this bed, will you?” 

“Absolutely not.” Dinah said. Laurel frowned. “You could barely sit up, you need more time to rest.” 

“I know you’re right, but I hate it when you’re right.” Laurel sighed as Dinah just crossed her arms. “Okay.”

“I’ll bring you your laptop so you can help that way and find connections.” Dinah said. 

“Thanks.” Laurel said. She bit her lip. “I’m worried about you going after her by yourself. If she is connected to Jacob, then there might be more danger than we realize.” 

“I won’t let my guard down this time.” Dinah said firmly. Laurel opened her mouth to add something, but Dinah continued. “I’ll be okay. And I won’t go out to find her until we know what I’ll be walking into.” 

“Okay. As long as you’re being careful.” 

“Laurel, we left careful behind years ago.” 

Laurel rolled her eyes and smiled. “That’s fair.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo I don't even want to talk about how I almost killed Laurel, I actually almost went through with it but then I thought it would be too mean. But I really hope you guys like this chapter, I don't know how I feel about it.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh sorry this took so long, I'll be honest with you all, I thought I finished this and posted it like a week ago but apparently I dreamed that so... better late than never?? 
> 
> I don't think there's any TWs, so I'm really sorry if I missed something

“You sure you’re okay going alone?” Laurel asked, again. 

“Yes.” Dinah told her surely. “Even though this was a shock, it’s not like there’s that much more to her. I’ll be fine.” 

“But, D-” 

“If I feel like I will be outmatched, I’ll get out of there.” Dinah assured her. “We’ve faced people way worse. I got this.” 

“Okay. Be safe.” Laurel gave her a quick kiss. 

“Of course.” She turned around and walked towards the door.

“Wait, Dinah.” Dinah turned to face her. “Don’t kill her.” 

“What?” Dinah crossed her arms. “Laurel, I am incredibly angry at Ali. There are very few things that make me angrier than people who put your life in danger.” Laurel opened her mouth to interrupt, but Dinah pressed on. “You saw how angry I was about Jacob killing Claire, it was ten times worse when I thought you would die. _But,_ I also know that if I killed her I wouldn’t be able to come back from that. And I won’t risk losing you because of that.” 

“Good. And I’m sorry. For being the reason you want to kill her.” 

“Not your fault. That’s on her.” Dinah turned to leave. “I love you. I’ll come back. And Ali will be alive.” 

“Love you too.” Laurel replied, even though Dinah was already out the door. “Please be safe.” She murmured to herself. She trusted Dinah, and if she said that she wouldn’t kill Ali, she meant it. But Ali might kill Dinah. In which case, Laurel would have to break her own rules and kill Ali. 

Dinah figured to check the address Ali gave her first, even though it was probably a lie. It wouldn’t hurt to check. Once she arrived at the apartment, and there was definitely someone living in it. Dinah decided to knock, in case she barged in on someone who wasn’t Ali, which would be difficult to explain. 

No answer. Dinah knocked again, and waited. After getting no response again, she sighed and kicked in the door. 

“Ali?” Dinah called. “There’s no use hiding. I know what you did, and I will find you.” She warned. 

“Stand back!” Ali came bursting through a door. She was holding a gun, but was clearly uncomfortable holding it. “Don’t make me use this.” 

“What have you gotten yourself into?” Dinah asked, raising her hands. She took a step forward. It took all her willpower not to knock the gun out of her hands and deck her, but she managed. 

“I said stand back!” Ali repeated. “How are you even still here?” 

“You poisoned the wrong person.” 

“Clearly.” Ali lowered the gun a little without realizing. “How did you even know it was me?” 

“You don’t realize who you’re dealing with. Laurel and I figured it out pretty quickly.” Dinah replied. “She’s alive, thanks for asking.” 

“You were supposed to drink it!” Ali raised the gun back up. She hated how Dinah didn’t seem to flinch at anything she did. “You’re the reason Jacob is in prison!” 

“Fuck, so you are working with him? I hate it when I’m right.” Dinah sighed. “Why are you defending that jackass?” 

“He’s my brother. And you turned him in for killing Claire.” Ali spat.

“Well, he did kill her.” Dinah said calmly. “And he deserved everything he got.”

“No he didn’t! After that night, he came to stay with me and said that you framed him!” Ali yelled. 

“Oh my god, you guys are equally deranged.” Was all Dinah said. There was no use explaining the whole situation to her.

“I’ll shoot you.” Ali threatened again, not making a move to shoot her. “I will.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. “I’m sure.” Dinah kicked the gun out of Ali’s hand and elbowed her in the ribs. Ali leaned forward and fell, which allowed Dinah to move behind her and hold both of her arms behind her back. 

“What are you going to do? Are you going to kill me?” Ali asked, trying to sound tough but fear was growing in her voice.

“As much as I would like to, no. That’s not what I do.” Dinah said. “You, just like your brother, are going to be turned in.” 

“It sucks that Laurel didn’t die. Then at least I would’ve done something to hurt you.” Ali said quietly. 

“If you ever even come close to Laurel again, I will not fucking hesitate to kill you.” Dinah whispered. “Do we understand each other?” 

Ali just nodded. Dinah brought her to the police station, as another gift to them. She had to give them more of an explanation this time, but considering her reputation it didn’t take much. 

Dinah opened the door to their apartment, relieved when she saw Laurel sitting on the couch, perfectly fine. Dinah hung up her jacket and sat down next to her.

“That was fast.” Laurel said. 

“Yeah, well, I didn’t die. Don’t know how to feel about that.” Dinah replied dryly. 

“Dinah.” 

“What?”

Laurel shook her head. “Don’t joke about that. We’ve had too much of that lately.” 

“I know. Sorry.” Dinah sighed. “She was easy to find. It was only her, all she had was a gun that she clearly didn’t want to use.” 

“And she’s alive?” 

“Yeah. I left her at the police station.” Dinah paused. “Jacob is her brother, and apparently after he shot Claire he stayed with her and told her some twisted version of what happened. So, while it isn’t entirely her fault, she decided the best way to fix that was to poison me.” 

“Poison you?”

“Oh, yeah. She meant for me to drink it, not you.” Dinah told her. 

“Makes sense.” 

“At least we’re done with that for the time being.” Dinah said, leaning back. 

Laurel nodded. “It’s about time. Now all I need to do is not almost die again.” 

Dinah sat back up. “Hey, you said I couldn't joke about that!”

Laurel laughed. “True, but this is my death. That’s _totally_ okay to joke about, if it’s mine.” She added sarcastically. 

“Okay, you’ve made your point.” Dinah replied. “How are you feeling?” 

“Fine.” Laurel said, at the same time Dinah said, “Don’t say fine.” 

“I’m feeling better than I was yesterday, and a lot better than I was right after it happened.” Laurel said. 

“How much better?” Dinah asked. “Because I feel like that much hasn’t changed.” 

“Well… they haven’t changed much. I can barely walk, and even standing up for too long is taxing.” Laurel admitted. “But remember, the steps we take don’t have to be big, they just have to be in the right direction.” 

“True. You’re right.” Dinah said. “I wish there was a way to speed up your healing though. But, as long as you are getting better, that’s all that matters.” 

“Exactly.” Laurel leaned her head on Dinah’s shoulder and closed her eyes. “So… I don’t really want to say it out loud… so I hope you know what I’m about to ask.” 

“I do. I don’t know how I’m going to tell Jack, and even though Conner and Rose already know I don’t know how they’ll deal with it.” Dinah said. “I’ll talk about it with them tomorrow, right before I reopen the bar.” 

“Want me to be there?” Laurel asked. 

“Under normal circumstances, yes, but I swear to god Laurel, if you try and walk without me helping you I may or may not lose it.” Dinah said. 

Laurel smiled. “Noted.” Dinah laughed and kissed her forehead. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey Dinah.” Jack said, smiling, when he came into the bar. “How are you?” 

“Fine.” Dinah replied. “You?” 

“Good…” Jack trailed off. “Are you okay? You seem off. Sorry if that’s over stepping, I don’t mean to be rude or anything.” 

“Actually, I need to talk to you about something.” Dinah said. 

“Oh shoot, did I do something? Am I getting fired?” Jack said, his face dropping.

Dinah smiled a little. “No, you’re good. I need to talk to all of you, so we can just wait until Rose and Conner come in.” 

“Okay, good. You scared me.” Jack said, breathing a sigh of relief. Dinah sighed as he walked away. He had no idea what Dinah had to tell him. That being said, who expects to hear that their former coworker and possible friend is actually a psychopath who poisoned and almost killed your boss’s girlfriend? 

“Maybe you shouldn’t say it like that, Dinah.” Dinah said to herself. 

“How are you doing, Dinah? How’s Laurel?” Rose immediately asked when she came in. Conner was right next to her. She pulled Dinah in for a hug.

“Laurel’s doing better. She’s healing slower than I would like, but I don’t care how long it takes as long as she’s okay.” Dinah answered, appreciating the comfort. “How are you guys doing?” 

“A little shaken.” Conner said. Rose nodded in agreement. “Did you find Ali and figure it out?” 

Dinah nodded. “I did. But I haven’t told Jack about the whole thing yet, I’ll explain it to you all at the same time.” 

“Good idea.” Rose said. 

“Is Laurel coming down today?” Conner asked. 

“That’s what I meant by healing slowly. She can barely walk, I told her that she needs to take it easy. She agreed to stay upstairs.” Dinah said. 

“Did you threaten her?” Conner asked with a smile. 

“Perhaps.” Dinah admitted. 

“Is it okay if we go see her later?” Rose asked. 

Dinah nodded. “Why don’t you guys come over tonight?” 

“Sure.” Rose said, glancing at Conner, who nodded. “We can try and make our lives semi-normal again.” 

“Normal? What’s that?” Dinah said. The two of them laughed. “Okay, I guess I should fill you all in. Go grab Jack, I’ll meet you all in the back.” They nodded and left. 

“So, something happened that I need to tell you all about.” Dinah said once they were all gathered. “Jack, Conner and Rose already know some of this, but it’s time I filled you in too.” 

“What happened? Is everyone okay?” Jack asked, panic growing in his voice. 

“Not exactly.” Dinah took a deep breath. “I’ll spare you most of the details, but Ali gave me a bottle of scotch. Laurel drank it, and the next morning she woke up with a headache. She got worse throughout the day, and by that night we figured out she was poisoned. Ali was trying to kill us. More specifically me, as I was supposed to drink it.” Dinah said, managing to stay composed. 

Jack looked on the verge of tears. “Oh my god.” Was all he could say. 

“Yeah. The good news is, we’re all okay now, and Ali was arrested.” 

“Why? Why would she do something so…” Jack searched for the word. “Evil.” He said finally. 

“Do you remember when I told you the reason you were hired?” Dinah asked. Jack nodded. “Apparently, Ali is Jacob’s sister.” Rose put a hand over her mouth. “Jacob is the one who killed Claire.” Dinah said to Jack. 

“That’s why she did it?” Conner asked. 

“Yeah. That’s why she even came here. She had no other purpose, and everything she told us was a lie.” Dinah explained. “I found her after it, and apparently Jacob stayed with her after killing Claire and told her some twisted version of the story. So that led her here, to kill me.” 

“That is almost unbelievable.” Rose said after a couple seconds. 

“Almost?” Conner asked. 

“It’s us. Anything’s possible at this point.” 

“That’s fair.” Conner replied. “It all makes sense, as much as it can at least. But it’s just crazy that she would go so far.” 

“Apparently that kind of insanity runs in the family.” Dinah said flatly. “Jack, I know that this is a lot to take in, so if you need time, I’m happy to give you the rest of the day off.” 

“I think I’ll be okay. If I’m alone I’ll drive myself crazy.” Jack told her. He paused for a second. “I thought we were becoming friends.” 

“I know. I thought we could trust her too.” Dinah said quietly. “I’ve learned that some people are just like that.” 

“I guess so.” Jack replied. 

The day went on, Jack seemed off the rest of his shift, but everyone understood why. Conner and Rose were getting used to things like this, which broke Dinah’s heart. She and Laurel had been accustomed to these things happening to them for years, but it was the worst thing to get used to. Dinah wished she could just take away all their pain. 

“Do you guys want to head up while I clean up?” Dinah asked when everyone had left. “I can handle it from here.” 

“Dinah, we’ll do it. Go upstairs and check on Laurel and we’ll come up in a few minutes.” Rose said. 

Dinah shook her head. “No, it’s fine, I can handle it.” 

“I know you can handle it, but that doesn’t mean you need to. I promise, we will come up in a second.” Rose told her. 

Conner nodded. “You almost lost her this week, and you haven’t seen her all day. Just go upstairs. Like Rose said, the two of us will be there soon.” 

Dinah smiled. “You guys are amazing.” 

“Well, we learned from the best.” Rose replied. “Go.” Dinah nodded and took off upstairs. 

“Laurel, why are you sitting on the floor?” Dinah asked when she walked in. Laurel was sitting next to the couch on the floor. 

“Well, I stood up to pick up Oreo, who was lonely, but then she ran away and I didn’t have the energy to get back up.” Laurel answered. 

“Is it that bad?” Dinah asked, taking a seat next to her. 

Laurel shrugged. “No, not really. I’m getting better, but I just felt like me again. You know, laying on the floor with the cats.” 

Dinah laughed. “I have come home to that quite a bit.” 

“Exactly.” 

“Oh, by the way, Rose and Conner are coming over to check on you in a couple minutes.” 

“Good.”

“Maybe that will help with feeling normal.” Dinah added.

Laurel smiled. “I think it will.” 

They heard a knock at the door. Dinah got up to answer it, knowing it was Rose and Conner. “You know, at this point, you can really just come right in.” 

“Yeah, we just like being polite.” Rose said. “We reserve that only for near death experiences.” 

“We’ve had a lot of those.” Conner added quietly. 

“We have.” Dinah stood aside to let them come in. 

“Hey guys.” Laurel said, still on the floor. “How’ve you been?” She drew out her words, trying to keep the mood light.

“Hi Laurel.” Conner replied. “How are you feeling.” 

“Better than I was. I think I’m improving as the days go on.” Laurel answered. 

“Progress.” Rose said. Laurel nodded. Dinah helped her back onto the couch and sat down next to each other. 

Someone’s phone started ringing. Everyone checked, and saw that it was Dinah’s. “It’s Kate.” She said, confusion in her voice. “Hello?” She put Kate on speaker.

“ _Dinah! Is Laurel with you?_ ” Kate asked enthusiastically as soon as Dinah picked up.

“Yeah, she’s right here. Conner and Rose are here too.” Dinah replied, glancing at Laurel, who shrugged. 

“ _Even better. Skylar and I have some really great news._ ” Kate said. 

“You do?” Laurel asked. 

“ _Yeah, we do._ ” Skylar said. “ _We’re coming back to Star City for a little while!_ ” 

“Really? That's amazing.” Laurel said.

“That is very good news.” Rose added. “Why?” She asked.

“ _I got a couple weeks off work, and we haven’t seen you all in way too long._ ” Kate answered. 

“That’s great.” Dinah said. “Do you guys have a place to stay?” 

“ _We’re getting a hotel somewhere nearby._ ” Kate said.

“When will you guys get here?” Conner asked. 

“ _We’ll be coming in two days._ ” Skylar replied. “ _Sorry for the short notice, but we just found out and this is what we wanted to do._ ” The four of them could hear the smile in their voice. 

“We can’t wait to see you guys.” Rose said. 

“ _Us too._ ” Kate said. “ _We have to run, but we'll see you all soon!_ ”

“Bye.” Everyone said as Dinah hung up.

“This is great. I can’t believe how long it’s been.” Conner said.

“About time for some good news.” Dinah added. 

Laurel laughed. “I completely agree.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are only like three chapters left, but I can't commit to that fact enough to actually add the chapter counter. So this is just your heads up
> 
> Also I'm not really super proud of this chapter so I'm sorry if it's kinda lame.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the posting of this chapter I can officially say that there will be no more angst. There is only joy coming their way, unless I change my mind. Which can happen at any moment.
> 
> Also yes, the chapter counter has been set.

“Skylar just texted, they landed and they’ll be here in about an hour.” Dinah said. She slipped her phone back in her pocket. 

“I’m so glad they’re visiting, it’s been too long.” Rose said. Dinah and Laurel invited them over for Kate and Skylar’s arrival. 

“Me too.” Laurel said. “Also, I have a question. Should we tell them I was poisoned?” 

“Yes.” Everyone agreed.

“Laurel, even though you’re doing better, you still aren’t back to normal. And they care about you, they have a right to know.” Dinah told her. 

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s not that big of a deal though, I don’t want them to worry.” Laurel replied. 

“Isn’t it kind of a big deal?” Conner asked. Laurel just rolled her eyes. “Also, speaking of big deals, should I have planned a welcome party or…” 

“You and your parties, Conner.” Dinah shook her head and laughed. “I’m sure it’s fine, they’ll just be happy we’re all together.” 

Conner nodded. Rose spoke up next. “Do they already know about Claire?” She asked.

“They do.” Laurel answered. “Skylar called the morning we told you guys, I had to tell them.” 

“Okay.” Rose paused for a second. “Do we have to talk about it?” 

Everyone shook their heads. “The two of them know it’s a sore topic, we can avoid it.” Dinah said. 

“A lot’s happened since they left, hasn’t it?” Conner asked. 

“That is very true.” Dinah replied. 

“It wasn’t all bad.” Rose added. “It was mostly bad, but there were some good moments.” 

“Yeah, there were.” Laurel said. “I can’t believe how much time has passed.” The four of them talked about the things that had happened in the last few months, mostly focusing on the good. 

There was a knock on the door. Everyone looked at each other in excitement, but no one moved. They knocked again. Dinah stood up and opened the door for them. 

“Hey Dinah.” Skylar said. Dinah immediately pulled them in for a hug. 

“Guys, it’s been too long.” She said. 

“I agree.” Kate responded while Dinah hugged her. 

“Come in, please. We missed you guys so much.” Dinah led them into the living room, where everyone stood up to give them hugs. 

“How are you guys? How’s New York?” Rose asked once the two of them had settled in and sat down. 

“Amazing. I love my new job, and it really feels like home.” Kate answered. 

Skylar nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it’s really great. I think I can safely say we’re the happiest we’ve been in years.” 

“That’s great, you guys deserve it.” Laurel said. 

“Thanks. We miss you guys though.” Kate said. 

“It’s not the same.” Skylar added. 

“We miss you guys too.” Conner said. 

“What about you guys? What’s been going on here?” Skylar asked. The four of them glanced at each other before answering. 

“So much.” Was all Laurel replied with. They all laughed. “Well… actually, this is a funny story.” 

“No it is not.” Rose said, at the same time Dinah interrupted with, “It’s the furthest thing from it.”

“That sounds interesting.” Skylar said. Dinah rolled her eyes. Laurel leaned forward, getting ready to tell the story. 

“This should be interesting.” Kate whispered to Conner. 

He laughed dryly. “Yeah… just you wait.” Kate raised her eyebrows and paid attention to Laurel. 

“So, a couple weeks ago, I was having a normal drink with Dinah at the bar after closing. Everything was fine that night, but when I woke up in the morning I had the worst headache. It was weird, I didn’t drink much, I didn’t think I was hung over. I progressively got worse throughout the day, later that night, Dinah and I figured out I was poisoned.” 

“Holy shit.” Skylar said. 

“How- what- how did that happen?” Kate stuttered out. 

“Well, apparently, the new waitress at the bar had issues with Dinah and me, so she gave us a bottle of scotch that was poisoned. Dinah had to go out and find these herbs that a… friend of ours had that helped with this sort of thing, and now I’m as good as new.” 

“Oh my god.” Kate said. “That’s insane.” 

“That really happened?” Skylar asked. They looked at Dinah who was pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“What Laurel isn’t telling you is that while I was gone, she stopped breathing and almost died.” Dinah said, sighing. 

Kate put her hand over her mouth. “And this just… happens to you guys?” 

Laurel shrugged and looked at Dinah. “It’s not the weirdest thing we’ve been through.” 

Rose spoke up next. “Conner and I were with her, it was a very tense situation. We didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Skylar and Kate both looked like they were in shock, which was a justified reaction. “We come back to Star City for what, a couple hours, and we find out our friend was poisoned.” Kate said. 

“Well, it’s not really the thing you want to hear over the phone.” Laurel said. 

“That’s... fair.” Kate said. “But still, insane.” 

“That’s basically what our lives have become.” Conner replied. “Actually, Dinah and Laurel’s have always been.” 

“True.” Skylar said. They paused for a second. “What was the most insane thing that happened? If you are able to tell us.” 

Laurel and Dinah looked at each other. Laurel raised her eyebrows and Dinah nodded. “Well, I actually came from another dimension known as Earth-2, which doesn’t exist anymore after Oliver, the Green Arrow, had to restart the universe.” Laurel said normally. Dinah couldn’t keep herself from laughing. 

“Okay, that’s definitely a joke.” Kate said. “Right? That can’t be true.” She asked again, getting more panicked. 

“Yes, of course that’s a joke.” Dinah lied smoothly, still unable to keep a straight face. “Could you imagine how absolutely insane that would be if it were true? And if it was, why would we just tell people that?” She glared at Laurel, who just winked at her. 

“You know, my fault for asking. Don’t want to know anymore.” Skylar said. 

“In all seriousness, a lot of stuff happened that you guys wouldn’t believe.” Dinah said. 

“I can’t imagine. Just from reading the news from back then it sounds like the stuff that you would see in movies.” Conner said. 

“I wonder what it was like to be there during all that stuff.” Rose added. 

“Jeez, you guys are making us sound old.” Laurel said, rolling her eyes. 

“Well… I mean…” Kate trailed off. 

Dinah glared at her. “I see how it is.” The rest of them, with the exception of Laurel, just laughed. “Last time I open up my home to you people.” Dinah said sarcastically. 

“I’m kidding!” Kate defended. “Even so, you guys still look great.” 

“Thanks, it’s from being constantly afraid for your life and having to be in peak physical condition.” Laurel replied. Dinah put her head in her hands. 

“Laurel, I swear-” Dinah started, giving up halfway through her sentence.

“This conversation is a trainwreck.” Conner muttered. Rose laughed. 

“So, more drinks, anyone?” Dinah said, quickly trying to change the subject. 

“Please.” Rose answered.

“I’ll help too.” Conner said, and he and Rose got up to help Dinah. 

Kate leaned closer to Laurel. “So, should we bring up what happened, or…” She asked with her voice lowered. 

“No, I don’t think you should. Still painful.” Laurel answered. Kate and Skylar nodded.

“Makes sense.” Skylar said. “I feel like you’ve all gone through so much since we haven’t been here.” 

Laurel nodded solemnly. “We have. It’s been a hard couple of months for everyone.” 

“I almost feel guilty for not being around.” Kate said. 

“Yeah, same.” Skylar added. 

“Don't.” Laurel said. “Even if you guys were here, all the same things would’ve happened. There’s no point in beating yourself up about things that have happened in the past.” 

“Wow, Laurel, you’ve grown so much.” Kate remarked. Laurel rolled her eyes. 

“Well, I’m evolving, Kate.” She said with a light laugh.

“That’s good advice, Laurel.” Skylar said. They paused for a second. “And have you-” 

“Not yet.” Laurel answered quickly. “Soon. I have plans.” 

“Good.” Kate said. “I can’t wait.” 

“Me too.” Laurel replied. The three of them stopped talking when Dinah, Rose, and Conner came back.

“You know, I’ve learned something since I’ve known you all.” Rose said, sitting back down. 

“Oh? What would that be?” Dinah asked. 

“That there is only one thing that can cause people to make completely irrational decisions.” Rose began. 

“Some type of drug?” Kate asked. 

Rose looked at her with a very confused look. “No? That’s not where I was going at all.” 

Kate’s face turned red. “Whoops.”

Rose laughed. “I was going to say love.” Laurel opened her mouth to add something, but Rose kept going. “And yes, I know that is cheesy as hell, but here me out. Before I met you guys I was pretty alone, and I never really thought that I’d care about people the way I care about you guys. You all taught me that if you love someone, you will do anything for them. Especially you, Conner.” 

“Rose, that’s really sweet.” Dinah said. 

Conner nodded and put his arm around her. “You taught me that too. I love you.” 

“Love you too.” 

“You guys are really the best. I’ve known a lot of great people, and the five of you are still some of my favorites.” Laurel added. 

“I wouldn’t be where I was without you all.” Kate said. “All of the dreams I had have come true.” Skylar gave her a kiss on her forehead after that. 

“Me too.” They replied. 

“This got emotional real quick.” Dinah said, laughing lightly. 

“It’s us, what did you expect?” Rose said. 

“We do this a lot.” Conner added. 

Laurel shook her head. “We’ve gotten pretty predictable, haven’t we?” 

“I think so.” Dinah answered. “I kind of like it.” 

The six of them talked for the remainder of the night, and it felt like how everything was before things got complicated. Before Conner got hit by a car, before Laurel left, before Dinah got sick, before Kate and Skylar left, before Claire died, before Ali showed up. Even though this was the most calm Dinah and Laurel’s lives have been, there was something about the way things went wrong. It was a lot more unexpected, and it was upsetting something that used to be perfect. 

But with Kate and Skylar back, it felt like they never left. Dinah and Laurel felt a specific kind of peace they hadn’t in years. Every conversation was easy, there wasn’t any dread hanging in the air, and everyone was okay. Sure they both had their issues, but they were together. They were happy. Of course, this moment of bliss would eventually come to an end, that’s how it works. Happiness is only special because it inevitably fades, so the two of them learned to savor it while they could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it, and I hope I can get the next chapter up soon.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been awhile, but here it is. Also, I lowkey hate this chapter, so I'm sorry for its low quality. I think the last one will be better.

“Are you guys going to visit Maeve while you’re here?” Laurel asked later that night. 

“We were hoping to, if we can find a good time.” Kate answered. “Which might be hard.” 

“True. I can always help out if you need me to.” Laurel offered. 

“Thanks, we might have to take you up on that.” Skylar said. 

“Of course.” Laurel replied. 

“Actually, I have that covered.” Someone said, bursting through the door. 

Dinah and Laurel quickly turned towards the door. Dinah sighed. “Hi Sara.” Sara came walking in like she owned the place, in true Sara fashion. At this point, there was no reason for anyone to be surprised at her random appearances. 

“Hey.” Sara replied with a smirk. 

Rose leaned closer to Conner. “Is this just a normal thing for this woman?” She whispered. Conner shrugged. 

“They don’t seem surprised.” Conner whispered back, gesturing towards Dinah and Laurel, who just looked exasperated with her. 

“Hey, Sara. I want you to know I mean this in the nicest way possible, but what the hell are you doing here?” Laurel asked, folding her arms. 

“Well, you know I like to make an entrance, and I wanted to see you all again.” She replied. “Ava’s here too, she’ll be up soon.” 

“We missed you.” Dinah said after a brief moment of silence. Laurel nodded in agreement. 

“You’ve met everyone?” Laurel asked, gesturing towards the rest of the group. 

“Not officially.” Skylar answered for her, just as Sara opened her mouth. “You just show up at random times and… I don’t know, you just know things. It’s a little concerning.” 

Sara pointed finger guns at them. “Time travel.” 

Everyone, besides Dinah and Laurel, looked shocked and confused. “I’m sorry, what?” Rose asked. 

Sara looked like she was about to explain, but Laurel stopped her. “You’ll just confuse them further, it’s fine.” 

“Remind me to ask about that later.” Kate said to Skylar in a low voice. They nodded. 

At that moment, Ava walked in the door. “Ava! So nice to see you.” Dinah said, trying to change the subject. 

“Hi.” She glanced around at everyone’s confused faces. “Sara… did you try and tell them about time travel? I thought we talked about doing this to people.” 

“Me? Never.” Sara replied innocently. Ava just shook her head. 

“So, you guys said something about finding my sister?” Skylar said, ignoring what had just happened. “As much as I would love to continue whatever this conversation is, I would like to see her.” 

“Right, yes.” Ava said, pulling out a file. “Here’s every time she’s free in the next three days.” She handed it to Skylar. 

“You have a file on my sister?” Skylar asked, opening it up and reading it. “Wait, this is down to the minute on things that didn’t happen yet.” 

“How do you know all this?” Kate asked. 

“As I said before, time travel.” Sara said, earning a disappointed look from both Ava and Laurel.

“Should we ask more about that?” Skylar asked Dinah and Laurel. The two of them shook their heads. “Noted.” 

“So in here you should find every time Maeve is by herself without her parents, and how long you have to talk to her. We don’t know exactly what will change if you show up, but not too much should happen.” Ava explained. “We can’t guarantee that it will be perfect, but we did our best with what we could.”

“Okay…” Skylar said, trailing off. 

“Wait, is this allowed?” Dinah asked. “I feel like there would be certain rules about this.” 

Ava and Sara glanced at each other. “Well… it doesn’t specifically say that it _isn’t_ allowed.” Sara said with a note of uncertainty in her voice. 

“That’s promising.” Kate said. “While I don’t understand any of this, I do have to thank you.” 

“Yeah, we really appreciate it.” Skylar added. 

“Of course.” Ava said. 

“So, what about the rest of you guys? Anything you need us to do?” Sara asked. Everyone looked at each other with looks of confusion. 

“What do you mean?” Dinah asked. 

“Well, if there’s anything you need help with, or want to do in the future, I’m sure we could help you out.” Sara explained nervously.

“Sara, can I talk to you outside for a second?” Laurel asked. Sara nodded and the two of them stepped into the hallway. 

Ava was left standing awkwardly in the living room with everyone staring at her. “Look, I know just about as much as you guys do.” She said, taking a seat in an empty chair. 

“Is there a problem we should know about?” Dinah asked. 

“Everything has been fine, Sara just really wanted to come here.” Ava said with a shrug. 

“Could you maybe, I don’t know, explain what the hell the deal is with time travel?” Skylar asked. “I appreciate everything you’ve done, but I am so lost with all of it.” 

“I would like to know the same, how is this even possible?” Conner asked. 

“It’s kind of complicated, and I don’t think we are actually allowed to explain it to you guys. Basically, we have a time ship that takes us through the timeline and we fix things that may have gone wrong. Changes in history that weren’t supposed to be here.” Ava explained. “Nothing much has been happening lately, so we have some free time. Although I don't really know why we came here.” 

“That’s not terribly helpful.” Kate said honestly. 

“I know.” Ava said with a sigh. 

“Some things are better left unexplained, so at this point, I don’t think I even want to know more.” Rose said. 

Dinah laughed. “Yeah, sometimes it’s better to never know. Trust me.” 

Outside in the hallway, Laurel and Sara were staring at each other waiting for the other to speak first. 

“You’re taking too long.” Sara said, breaking the silence. 

“What are you talking about?” Laurel asked, folding her arms. 

“You know what I’m saying.” Sara said. 

“No, I really don’t.” Laurel replied defiantly. Sara just continued to stare at her. “Fine. I’m just waiting for a good moment but everything keeps going wrong.” 

“How long have you been planning?” 

“Since Kate and Skylar moved to New York. Skylar told me it was time, but you know…” Laurel trailed off. “I love her so much, never doubted that, but so much keeps happening. I almost die, then she does, then someone actually dies, then I almost die again. I don’t really know when a good time for that is.” 

“Understandable. But you have to do it now. Laurel, there’s never going to be a ‘perfect’ time. Life will always throw stuff at you, it isn’t going to give you a break. You never know what’s going to happen. You have to do this now.” Sara told her. Laurel nodded. 

“I know you’re right. And I will. I’ve been ready for months.” She replied. Sara smiled. 

“Good.” 

“What about you and Ava?” Laurel asked before they went back in.

“We’ve got all the time in the world. Quite literally.” Sara answered. Laurel laughed and the two of them went back inside. 

“Oh thank god.” Ava whispered. “Can you try and explain what we do? I worked for the Time Bureau for years and I don’t know what to tell them.” 

“I would love to, but-” Sara pretended to check her watch “-we really have to go. Timelines to preserve, you know the deal.” She grabbed Ava’s hand and pulled her out of the apartment. Ava gave them a wave and an apologetic look, but she mostly looked relieved. 

“That was… enlightening.” Rose said, trying to find the right words. 

“Yeah. That’s definitely the word I’d use.” Skylar said sarcastically. They looked back in the file. “It looks like tomorrow morning Maeve is home alone for a couple hours… should we go?” They asked. 

“Of course we should.” Kate said. “She’s going to be so happy to see you.” 

“Laurel, think you could help us out?” Skylar asked. 

“I’d be happy to.” Laurel answered. “Shouldn’t be too hard, Sara and Ava made it pretty easy on our end.” 

“Thanks.” Skylar replied. “We should go, I’m pretty tired.” They said, standing up to leave. 

“Yeah, me too.” Kate said. 

“I think we’re going to head out too, we’ll see you guys soon.” Rose said. Conner nodded in agreement. 

“It was really great to see you all. We really missed being all together.” Dinah said. 

“We’re glad you guys got a chance to come back, and text me when you want to leave to go see Maeve. I’m free whenever.” Laurel said. 

“Thank you.” Skylar said, and the four of them left. 

After they left, Dinah turned to face Laurel with her arms crossed. 

“What?” Laurel asked innocently. 

“A number of things.” Dinah said, pausing for a second. “Are you sure you’ve recovered enough to help Skylar see Maeve? What was going on with Sara? What were you guys talking about?” 

“First, yes, I think I’ll be alright.” Laurel replied confidently. “I won’t have to move that much, and all I’m really doing is making sure Skylar’s parents don’t come home too early.” 

“That’s true.” Dinah paused, waiting for Laurel to continue talking. She didn’t. “What about my other questions?” 

“Sara was just worried about us. She knew everything that had happened and she just wanted to make things easier for us.” Laurel lied. She knew Dinah knew it was a lie, but she couldn’t tell her what it was really about. “She was just being Sara.” 

Dinah nodded. “Okay.” There was something else going on, but Dinah trusted Laurel. If it was something important she would tell her. She was almost positive about that. “That’s nice of her. I’m glad she’s been looking out for us.” 

“Yeah. Me too.” Laurel knew she had to do this soon so Dinah knew she wasn’t hiding anything big from her. “Are you going to bed now?” Laurel asked. 

“I am. You?” 

“I’ll be up in a few minutes, I’m just going to finish some things up.” Laurel said. Dinah nodded and went upstairs. Laurel sighed and put her head in her hands. Even though Sara said everything didn’t need to be perfect, she still wanted it to be as close as possible. This was Dinah, her everything. She needed a plan, and it had to be good. 

And it was hard not telling her. She and Dinah had enough trust issues as it is, and the fact that Dinah knew Laurel was lying about something didn’t help. Even though it would definitely pay off, Dinah didn’t know it was a good secret. Hopefully Laurel wouldn’t ruin things between them when all she was doing was trying to solidify their future together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry, I know it's not great, but it is just to set something up. I've been hinting at it for a long time so I hope you guys know what it is


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Jesus christ, I can't believe I've been writing this for eight months. Please enjoy the final chapter, and i hope it does the fic justice.

“You’re back.” Dinah said when Laurel opened the door and came into their apartment. It was late, which Dinah expected. Maeve ended up being home alone longer than they planned, so Skylar spent as much time with her as they could. 

“I am.” Laurel replied. “Another successful family reunion.” 

“They’re happy?” 

“I think so. Skylar is always a little sad on the drive back, which is understandable. Overall, though, it makes them happier. Kate too, she knows how much Skylar misses Maeve.” Laurel explained. 

“Good.” 

“Yeah.” Laurel said, sitting down. It looked like she was going to say something else, but she didn’t. 

“What is it?” Dinah asked, knowing something was up. 

“Nothing, I just- Whenever Sara comes to visit, or Skylar talks about Maeve, I just miss my sister sometimes.” Laurel said quietly. “And I know, I have this Sara, who is actually alive and saving the world, but she isn’t the same. I’m not her Laurel, she’s not my Sara.” 

“I never really thought about it like that.” Dinah said. “I’m sorry I never asked you.” 

“It’s okay. I rarely do, because my Sara died long before I came here, and I grieved her, but then…” Laurel trailed off. 

“Then you came to a new Earth and found out she was alive here, and you weren’t.” Dinah finished for her. Laurel nodded. 

“And neither is my Earth anymore.” She said. “It’s a weird feeling.” 

“I can’t imagine.” 

“Well, I guess it’s similar to finding out you don’t exist in this version of the universe.” Laurel said with a laugh. 

Dinah smiled. “True, but still. I’m sorry about that.” 

“Me too.” Laurel gave Dinah a kiss. “It’s in the past, and now, I have this.” She gestured to everything around them. “You, people who care about me, and an actual life where I’m not constantly being hunted.” 

“Isn’t that the dream?” 

“It truly is.” Laurel said. “Follow me.” She said after a moment of thought. 

“To where?” Dinah asked. 

Laurel took her hand. “The roof.” She led her up the stairs and the two of them looked at the city and the sky behind it.

“I can’t believe we’ve come this far.” Dinah said after a few minutes of silence. 

“I can’t either.” Laurel agreed. “I mean, after everything, who would’ve thought the two of us would be together.” 

Dinah nodded and smiled. She rested her head on Laurel’s shoulder. “You know, I hated you.” She said after a while. 

“I was aware.” Laurel replied with a laugh. “You had every reason to.” 

“I know. At least at first.” Dinah said.

“What do you mean?” 

“You changed, and I refused to see it. I still hated you. And it was more than anger, it was because I understood you. I saw the worst parts of myself in you, and I hated that. Even when you were trying to be better, I could barely look at you.” Dinah went on. “I wasn’t a great person either. After Vinnie died the first time, I killed people. Out of my grief, my anger. And I hated you for doing the same thing.” 

“Where’s this coming from, D?” Laurel asked. 

“I’m sorry. I should’ve tried to help you become a better person instead of telling you that you never could be.” Dinah picked up her head and wrapped her arms around herself. She stared at the ground.

“Dinah, I know who I was back then. I was awful. I hurt anyone and everyone who got in my way, just because I could. That included you, your team, and Vinnie. Yes, you made bad choices, but I would never blame you for how you acted towards me.” Laurel told her. She lifted Dinah’s chin with her hand and looked her in the eyes. “We’re different people now.” 

“All in the past?” Dinah asked.

“All in the past.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“When did you know?” Rose asked Conner, back at their apartment. 

“When did I know what?” He replied. 

“When did you know you wanted to be with me.” Rose clarified. “For me, it was the day you kicked out the guy who was harassing a bunch of people. You cared about the rest of us, and while there was the threat of you being beat up you still kept us safe.” 

“That feels like a million years ago.” Rose nodded. Conner thought about it for a minute. “It was when I came to pick you up for our first date. I got lost three times, I was late, embarrassed, and convinced you were going to change your mind right there.” 

“I didn’t.” 

“No, you didn’t. I eventually showed up, and you were just happy I was there. My face was all red and still, you didn’t rethink going out with me.” Conner continued. “That is all it took.” 

“I don’t think anything could make me change my mind.” Rose said. “Can I tell you something kind of weird?” 

“Of course.” 

“I never thought I’d love anyone the way I love you. I would see couples together, or see them in movies, and I always thought that kind of love wasn’t real. People were just making it up. But then you came along, and proved me wrong.” Rose laughed. “I may hate being wrong, but I will never hate being wrong about that.” 

“I love you too.” Conner said, walking up to her and giving her a kiss. “More than I could possibly put into words.” 

Meanwhile, Skylar and Kate were sharing their own moment in their hotel room. Arguably a less romantic one, but a moment nonetheless.

“What are you talking about, of course it will happen while we’re here.” Kate argued. She was laying flat on her back with her head at the foot of the bed. Skylar was sitting on the floor, resting their back against the bed as well. 

“Kate, you heard about how long it took for them to get together.” Skylar replied. “They were pining over each other for _months_. There is no way they will do it soon.” 

“Okay but like… I really want it to happen.” Kate said, rolling over to look at Skylar better. “Does that help?” 

“Yeah, that changes everything.” Skylar said sarcastically. 

Kate rolled her eyes. “It should.” 

“Dork.” Skylar replied with a grin. 

“Hey!” Kate said, pretending to be offended. Skylar just laughed. “Fine, but you love it.” 

Skylar gave her a quick kiss. “Yes, I do.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Where are we going?” Dinah asked Laurel. Laurel was currently holding her hand and pulling her around the city, but wouldn’t tell Dinah where they were going. 

“It’s a surprise.” Laurel replied. 

“But what is the surprise?” Dinah pressed. 

Laurel smiled and rolled her eyes. “I feel like you don’t know how surprises work.” 

“I know how surprises work, I just want to know what this one is.” Dinah said to herself quietly. Laurel led her to an abandoned warehouse and paused in front of it. “What’s here?” 

“This is where I stayed when I left.” Laurel told her. 

Dinah frowned. “What are we doing here?”

Laurel walked inside still holding Dinah’s hand. She showed her the corner Laurel had slept in. “I spent a lot of time here, and all I could do was drown myself in guilt. Conner found me, talked some sense into me. That made me feel a little better, but ultimately everything was the same. Then I ran into that night. You pulled me back.” She explained. 

Dinah looked around. “I can’t believe you spent so much time here.” She said quietly. “I know how lonely I felt, but this place seems like it would only make it worse.” 

“Yeah, it did.” Laurel agreed. “There’s one more place I want to go.” 

“I really want to see where you’re going with this.” Dinah replied. The two of them left and Laurel led her to another place in the city.

“You remember this place?” Laurel asked. 

Dinah nodded. “How could I forget?” They were standing in the same place that Laurel was stabbed, for the second time since they’ve been together, and Dinah took care of her. 

“You saved me that night.” Laurel told her. 

Dinah looked at her and shrugged. “It wasn’t that deep of a cut, I’m sure you would’ve been fine.” 

“Not like that.” Laurel said. “Yes, you made sure I didn’t bleed out, but you did more than that. You brought me back. You saved me from myself, even after all the shit I put you through.” 

“What else was I supposed to do? I love you, Laurel.” Dinah replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“No one’s ever cared about me like that. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough.” Laurel said. Dinah glanced at her and smiled. “What?” Laurel asked. 

“I want to take you somewhere.” Dinah said. 

“Where?” Laurel asked, as Dinah pulled her along. 

“It’s a surprise.” Dinah replied. 

Laurel laughed. “Okay, I understand the frustration in hearing that.” Dinah just smiled. Dinah brought her to the roof where Dinah almost killed Jacob. 

“Here’s where you paid me back.” Dinah said. She let go of Laurel’s hand and turned to face her. “When I almost let hate consume me, when I almost gave into the voice in my head telling me to kill again. I didn’t, because you cared enough about me to stop me.” 

“You did the same for me.” Laurel replied. 

“And I always will.”

Laurel looked around. “Sometimes that day feels like just yesterday, and sometimes it feels like a million years ago.” 

“A lot’s changed since then.” 

“Since everything.” Laurel added. “You know what hasn’t changed in the past few months?” 

“What?” Dinah asked. 

“The way I feel about you. I loved you then, I love you now, and I always will.” 

Dinah pulled her in for a kiss. “I love you too. Always will.” A tear started to roll down her cheek. “You’re my everything.” 

“And you’ll always be mine.” Laurel replied. “Which is why I think it’s time I do this.” Laurel knelt down on one knee and pulled out a small black box. “Will you marry me?” 

Dinah paused, closed her eyes, and reached into her back pocket to pull out a little black box of her own. She knelt down across from Laurel. 

“I was planning on asking you the same thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is, all 237 pages of my self-indulgent fic. Thank you to everyone who has read the whole thing, especially those that have been here since the beginning. I loved writing this, all of your comments and kudos always made me smile, and I hope you enjoyed this! 
> 
> (I gave them a happy ending, are you proud of me, Liza?)

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone wants to talk to me my Tumblr is dontletthedemonsoutofyourcloset. I never post but I always respond!


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